War With Hip-Hop

I'm not going to lie by saying I've been busy and everything. I've had some things to do but overall I'm enjoying my vacation. For the first time in almost a month, I don't have an exam during the week so that's why it feels like a breath of fresh air these days. I've enjoyed my time off and taking it easy with the writing. Last year it was the complete opposite and I was working every day on my auto biography. Its amazing how things can change so fast but the difference from this year and last is that I can't recall me ever putting any effort into senior year. I miss those days so much but I'm happy I made the most of it. Anyway I'm back though and I'm going into a major topic like usual. With the NBA playoffs coming up, I'm going to hold off on the sports until I do my preview of the playoffs. The next week or two will involve other things in life other than sport. I'm not just a sports geek like you have seen, but I'm also a music geek. That's what brings us to the topic today.

I'm a huge music geek that basically is separated into two genres. Hip-hop and rock are the only things you will find me listening to. I'll put in some metal at times, but I consider metal basically right there with rock. I'm here to talk about hip-hop though because people seem to non stop talk about hip hop. I'm a fan but it continues to die day by day. You can blame so many things about the decline of it which is I'm here to do except it will actually be broken down and explained. It won't be the usual "man n****s ain't spitting hard no more, things be getting soft man". That could apply to some of it but it will actually be explained in proper grammar and more thought. The interest that I had for hip hop started to decline in the spring of 2010 because nothing was really making sense to me anymore. Other than Fabolous, nothing new was really making me nod my head back and forth. The hip-hop that I was listening to on a daily basis was always good but for some reason I lost the connection. Rock was starting to become my life and for about two years now it has. Some people don't get it while others think it's awesome. I'm not here to debate on what's better because I love both. I'm here to discuss on what is killing hip-hop for me at the moment. If you read my old blog, you probably saw my history with hip-hop and what I like. This is different now and I'm going to get into my major grievances with the genre. 

My favorite right now that's active and still working hard.

Hip-Hop Grievances

I'm going to break it down into five parts on why I'm not all into hip-hop anymore. It may seem simple while some of it may be more complex than you thought. Hopefully people see the side to things rather than say I'm just a miserable human being thats living in the past.

1. Hip-Pop?-  This will be in order and this is the most common complaint about modern day hip-hop. You will hear people that are veteran artists, radio DJ's, or even people like me that will always complain about this. This basically explains how hip-hop simply has gotten to poppy. Basically that means that songs will get taken over by longer hooks or techno beats or singing. When was the last time you were on the radio when someone had a regular three verse song that had over twenty four bars a verse. It has been a long time even for someone like myself that doesn't listen to the radio. I do hear this from several people though from either twitter or in person that know hip-hop. I'm sure on major artists albums that they have their song that they might have longer rhymes in their verse but why isn't it out on the main stream? Instead you hear these songs with four different artists and twelve bars on a verse. Then you have a hook that is beyond repetitive. All these indications just lead to me thinking that hip-hop is turning into one big pop barrage. It has people worried to the point where even old rappers are calling out people for singing. You have legends like DMX and Ghostface Killah talk about artists have gotten soft and haven't found the true origin of hip-hop which is either telling a story or trying to make a point about how good your lyrics can be. Those components are the true origins of hip-hop yet you have most common day artists losing sight of this. My favorite person on the radio currently that I'll be making several references about is Peter Rosenberg. Along with Chipa Sounds, Peter is like your typical intelligent hip-hop fan that is always speaking his mind and not afraid of getting heat with people. He has even gone on twitter and started calling things #hiphoplite indicating things that aren't real hip-hop. It has started to grow around which is great to see. Some people may not take hip-hop that seriously because they live in different areas, but you have to understand is that I'm from New York. Sure I may white and don't really dress in any "gangster" way but I love the music. I'm not going to accept the fact that some song by Flo Rida is real hip-hop when he's saying twelve lines in two verses about how he's the man with loads of garbage punch lines. People are always politicking about the differences of it but just look into the music and see how you feel. This is always a common battle with fans and I've been battling people for years now. I'm always defending real artists that don't get air play from the likes of Chamillionaire to Cassidy. If you haven't realized by now, I'm not a big fan of radios but some DJ's and radio hosts are very knowledgeable. Before I go to the topic, I want you to listen to this video by Rosenberg breaking down how lame things have gotten. Nicki Minaj is someone I've never been a fan of but she's obviously very popular. She was becoming a huge female rap sensation with her hard hitting lyrics and everyone loved her especially people that like the aggressive style of hip-hop. Rosenberg defines this perfectly on how fame can get to someone's head in an instant and they forget what got them to the glory.

He couldn't have said it better

2. The N word is a favorite- I'm sure that it's not going to end any time soon and this is a war that I'm going to lose but this has gone too far. Do people realize that saying n**** is actually a racial slur? I know it has grown into something that black people use to address people as their friends which is understandable. What I don't get is why artists have to say it literally in every song they do. You would think that they would learn growing up how wrong it was to say that word. If you said that word back in the 80's, it meant you wanted to get violent. I'm not trying to sound like a politician here or trying to stop this, but it has really bothered me to the fact that I'm starting to prefer the clean version of songs. That doesn't even help because you have some artists that have songs that you can barley understand because of the swearing. If you listen to "We Be Steady Mobbin" by Lil Wayne in the clean version, you won't have a clue on what he's saying. Then again, I have zero idea what Lil Wayne is talking about since the day he debuted. I'm not trying to make these completely PG, but why would you want to say n**** all the time. When it was the early 2000's you would rarely hear rappers say that. You would hear it time from time but otherwise you would hear "homie" or "dog" that was so much better. The music was so good that they didn't need and they can still make their song big. Jadakiss, Nas, Gangstaar, and LL Cool J were guys that you would barley hear it from. It just doesn't make sense to me on why saying n**** is so popular now and makes things sound apparently better. In my life, I think I've said the n**** a few times in my life because I pride myself on not speaking like that. The last time I said that I still remember was when my friend Mike Golja and I were lost in the city and we were driving which is hell. For some reason, the N word slipped out because I was all grouchy from the Falcons playoff loss to the Giants. The second I said it, I apologized because it bothers me so much. I'm not going to get all into white people saying n**** because this is about music connecting with social values, not society connecting with social values. I don't hear the recent up coming white rappers saying it so at least that's a positive. Either way you look at it, I'm still baffled how people consider saying n**** is a positive.

3. Promoting The Wrong Things-  I'm only arguing things that can be stopped or at least be toned down. The N word can be toned down but this can be stopped. Now you know hip-hop is always going to have all the drinking, smoking, and women dressing half naked in their videos and music. That won't be stopped and I'm not going to rant on it because you know it's wrong. I'm not ranting on things that won't be stopping anytime soon because that's the culture of the music. One thing I can talk about is rappers talking about drunk driving. It seems like every other day you here about someone dying because of a drunk driving accident. It has happened to people including a guy that I loved watching on Jackass in Ryan Dunn. It has happened to innocent children or the elderly because of this. In the video that I posted below, you will hear another great video from Peter Rosenberg on why promoting drunk driving in songs is wrong. Peter suffered a tragic accident in family and feels strongly about this just like anyone would if this happened in their family. Yet you have artists like Kayne West and Wiz Khalifa that think they are lyrical geniuses by talking about how they are driving intoxicated. Its things like this that just irate me because it's not necessary. This is something that can be totally negated doing a track and hopefully this is the last time that I'll have to mention this. The video is here by Peter Rosenberg making his valid points.

4.  White Rapper Movement-  I've been mostly disappointed with the white rapper movement although it was mostly going strong in spring of 2011. With Eminem being on the most iconic figures in hip-hop history, many white people have been inspired to try to make it. Everyone knows Eminem and knows how amazing his lyrical ability was. He made sure that his lyrical ability was elite so people would notice him. You would think that would rub off on the up and coming white rappers instead you see a bunch of rip offs from the South. I'm a big fan of the South and some of their artists but you have the other side of the South where their lyrics are pure garbage. The rappers that have come up from Mac Miller to Chris Webby are really disappointing considering that Eminem has to be up there as an inspiration to them. Even Sam Adams who I tend to find catchy isn't much better. I'm sure plenty of white rappers out there aren't anything like these guys and are fully focused on their lyrical ability. Hopefully they start to get the love and publicity so we can hear them. People were telling me how hip-hop is going through a new phase and that white rappers are ready to take over. I had my doubts but it interested me because I'm like in my wildest dreams, we have a bunch of poor man Eminem rappers ready to hit main stream. Instead we have a bunch of guys that either have failed punch lines, only really care for hooks, or isn't sober half the time he's awake. It was pretty disappointing to see these white rappers flop and believe me I tried to get into it but it was a complete fail. I do have faith in one white rapper out there and that is my good buddy Nick Zav. I talked about Nick once before months ago, but basically Nick is an inspiring rapper that I'm friends with. He's got his first gig on a show in late May which I wouldn't miss for the world. We might not hang out a lot but just from hanging out with him, he's one of the truest people you will ever met. He's just a humble guy that seems to be a workaholic. I'm hoping for all the best with Nick because he does care about true hip-hop. I haven't really got into full discussion with him about hip-hop but we both share the same common beliefs. He's in for the great punch lines and story telling which is what hip-hop should be. His inspiration is J.Cole who I'm a fan of and is probably one of the few guys I like these days. I'll give you a song from Nick Zav right here below.

5. Identity Crisis-  The last major gripe about the state of hip-hop could connect to number one but I still feel that it's different. It seems like artists have started to get lost on what the true meaning of what a rapper is. If you're a guy that likes to sing, then don't think you're a rapper. When I hear singing in a song that is repetitive that is a complete insult. If you're going to sing once during a song and it's something quick, then that is cool. My main gripe is when people like Drake start to sing repeatedly but still want to talk hard and try to sound like a tough guy. You can't sound like a tough guy trying to talk like you run some place when you are singing these cheesy melodies talking about how much you love someone. This is the case for some rappers too even Lil Wayne who seems like he has tried just about every genre these days. How can anyone buy in the fact that you're a straight rapper that can be respected when you're singing constantly or doing these stupid love hooks. That's what makes me think that people are suffering from an identity crisis that should stick to being just an "artist". They can get their radio air play because you know their star power is enormous but their plenty of old school hip-hop guys that see their true colors. Everything that is happening just makes me dread the fact that things were so much simpler and more authentic from years ago. Even though you had your rappers that were more into the party music, it didn't stop the fact that most rappers were gunning to be the top lyrical rapper in the world. That's why so many diss tracks happened because being the best in the world was huge. It applied to money back in the day as well, but now it just seems like it's all about the money which won't be stopped any time soon. What can be stopped is people admitting that they are just artists and not rappers. 

Those five things to me is what drives me crazy about hip--hop and the current state of it. It used to be my life growing up and it did leave a negative standpoint for me at times, but that was because of my immature self. You can't totally buy into everything rappers say because some of it can be wrong. I'm a huge Young Jeezy fan but the guy makes drug references time and time again. That's just a prime example that you can't totally put your mind into everything someone says. Hip-hop can lead to many negative things but it can also lead to great story telling and make you think that you can relate to someone. I'd love to see more rappers like J-Cole or Fabolous be more main stream because then I'll be interested. A few days ago I was listening to a Ludacris album and it made me realize how much I miss him. Sure Ludacris can be over the top with his work and can talk about insane things, but the guy knows how to rap on a high level. The argument could go on and on all day but those five things have made me lose my interest in hip-hop. The realness of the genre has been lost and fraud continues to stock up in what was once a proud genre. Sure they didn't dress well but they had so much pride in everything they did with their music but now it seems that both things have switched. I'm not sure what can change because it seems like things that are trendy is going. People that don't give a damn about the old school and don't put interest in their lyrics like Waka Flocka will continue to get major press. It's 2012 where you just have to be trendy to get a big name. If you look at a guy that's on the main stream then digress on his background then you'll realize how he got to the top. 

Final Word/ Plugs

This is shorter than usual because I'm keeping it at what is killing me about hip-hop. I'm not trying to make a whole big thing about what I like because I did a few months ago. I'm happy with certain people and I'm happy with current MC's. It's going to be a long process that might never change in terms of making hip-hop what it once was a few years ago. Hopefully people like Peter Rosenberg and Chipa Sounds can continue to preach because they aren't afraid to speak their minds and they are well known. I'll always have a love for hip-hop regardless of how the current state because of how great the past was with great mc's all over the world. That's something that can be denied and something that can be held for the rest of your life. As for the future, well don't hold your breath for too long.

Anyway here are my plugs.

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Feel free to leave a comment below or contact me on any of those links above.

The March Madness Experience Part Three

I'm back again with the last of March Madness. Its now Final Four weekend when magic usually happens. I could make so many corny references on how special it is and where heroes are born. The games began on March 31st with two huge games. Let's get into it since I got some other things to cover from the Nets game experience and the shocking return of Brock Lesnar. I'm not trying to go on so many different topics but some really cool things that are going on and have gone on. 

Saturday

6:00 to 8:00-  I'm back at Applebees for some odd reason but that's where people like to eat. I'm not going to pass it up because I like the food and they have TV's everywhere. I'm with the same old gym buddies because they are the college basketball fans that are passionate. The other college basketball friends that I have are either away for college or working. I wish I could watch it with different people (Kevin Durkan or Evan Conti if you're reading, you guys would be my picks) but sometimes you can't. Louisville is playing Kentucky in the first game which is a huge rivalry. You have an historic coaching match up between Calipari and Pitino along with the teams playing in the same state. It sounds all perfect except the teams are very different. Louisville doesn't have much star power compared to Kentucky which made me think this game could get ugly. My prediction turned out to be wrong with Louisville out hustling Kentucky which they needed. They started to dominate the boards which is shocking considering the size that Kentucky has. Terence Jones and Anthony Davis usually take command of the boards but they seemed to get out hustled. Despite all the hard work, Louisville shot poorly which really hurt. The likes of Kyle Kuric, Peyton Siva, and Russ Smith simply weren't hitting shots which led to people being disappointed. Everyone wanted to see the upset in a big way because everyone hates Calipari. I'm not a Louisville fan so I didn't fully care for the game except for the enjoyment. The major reason for this was mainly because St.John's would always get dominated by them. They are my favorite team and I don't believe in the belief "root for whatever team that comes in your conference". Most teams in the Big East are usually teams that I hate because they are full rivals. 

The second half started and both teams were shooting colder than the nachos that came out of Applebees. It was a disappointing meal and didn't help me cure a mini sickness that I got from Friday night. Don't go out without a jacket in a forty degrees night regardless if your at a bar or not. You will go outside and you will freeze. Anyway Louisville started playing tough and Kentucky started missing free throws. Kentucky is usually a good free throw shooting so it was odd. Eventually Lousiville's poor shooting really made them break away from being competitive. Anthony Davis had a monster game which shouldn't surprise anyone. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is someone that really shined once again with his relentless play. Kentucky was the well deserved winner like expected even though my meal was less than stellar. The atmosphere at Applebees was better than usual with many people yelling and making fun of Anthony Davis uni brow. That has started to become a trend of making fun of his uni brow. I'm a fan of it but people can go over board. He should shave it because it's an awful look but I'm not sure what's his explanation for it. 

Future husband material?

8:30 to 12:30- I missed the 2nd half due to being at a mini-party. I went with my friends that really could care less so that stunk. The first half I watched and it was amazing how poor Kansas played. After Kansas played so well against North Carolina, it was shocking to see them struggle to score. Ohio State wasn't playing lights out but they were getting more stops and taking advantage of chances. Both teams didn't have much depth so the game lacked that. Paul was the only one really into it and pulling for Ohio State because he loves random teams with no explanation. Ohio State had a nice advantage going into half time but people eventually changed it because they are evil and don't appreciate the final four (or they really don't care of course). The night went from movies to a UFC tournament so things got hectic.I made sure to watch the 2nd half when I got home because its the final four! With relatives coming over for a family dinner tomorrow afternoon, I didn't want to drink so much because I can't tolerate old folks with a hangover. If you ever met old Croatians, they are already tough to co-exist with. If you try doing that then it will be a horrifying experience.

Anyway I finally go home from a head scratching night thanks to many obnoxious people (not that's it a bad thing). I check out the 2nd half and it just amazed me how poorly Ohio State shot. DeShaun Thomas was a complete liability by making poor decisions every time he touched the ball. Kansas frustrated Sullinger into taking too many difficult shots which led to an awful shooting night going 5 for 19. Kansas defense seems to move much faster than Syracuse which caused Ohio State to get flustered in the half court offense. Other than William Buford, nobody on Ohio State seemed comfortable. Thomas Robinson got going in the 2nd half with his mid range shot. Robinson has all the tools to be an all-star in the NBA, it wouldn't surprise me to see him end up better than Sullinger thanks to more explosiveness. I'm on couch watching him in awe wondering if he will be better than Chris Bosh after three years in the NBA. It may be a stretch but it wouldn't surprise me. Anyway back to the game where an eleven point lead was erased faster than I could imagine. Elijah Johnson continued his strong tournament by going 6 for 9. The game started getting tight with four minutes left with it still going back and forth. Aaron Craft would get a steal and score off Elijah Johnson but then the next possession he would get rejected by Jeff Withey. Withey came up with another huge block with just a minute left on Buford and it led to a fast break bucket for Elijah Johnson to put Kansas up three. Did Ohio State watch film after Withey rejected seven shots against N.C State? You have to be cautious when you drive to the hoop against them.

The game ended awkwardly with both teams turning over which led to Kansas making a smart foul by Aaron Craft when the game was a three point difference. Craft tried to miss the 2nd to get the ball back but it wouldn't happen. Kansas was going to the final after a slugfest where I couldn't believe they won after such a poor 1st half. I'm proud of Kansas though because they have always been my favorite "powerhouse" college basketball team. When you root for St.John's and Boston College, you don't exactly have much winning success at times.  Kansas has won money for me in the past and has developed great talent like Mario Chalmers, Cole Aldrich, Sherron Collins, Brandon Rush, and now Thomas Robinson. The game was also huge for my cousin Sandy because she is now in 11th place out of 412 people in the pool. That's really impressive for a woman that doesn't know that much. I'm jealous of course. 

Monday

8:00 to 8:40-  I'm starting early because the train ride to the city to watch the game was ridiculous. For like two months, their would be always a bum that would enter the subway and start a speech on how poor they are. It would be pretty annoying especially when it happened to me four times in a row. They would rant on how they would just like that one warm sandwich. It would be the same thing which makes me wonder if they ran a cult or something. I managed to lean back and just listen to my IPod without a care in the world. The national game started to excite me because I was watching with a bunch of guys that knew their stuff. The odd combination was that it was with mostly black people which was awesome. I've never really watched basketball with them before so it would be cool and funny to see their reaction to crazy plays. People were texting me also about the possibility of Kansas having any shot of winning this game. It was highly unlikely but if they win the battle of rebounding and don't show so poorly like Louisville, you never know. The bum finally went away after ten minutes which was a blessing. I'm finally in the city and trying to avoid some other bums. This world is very cruel these days because the increase of bums have really caught my eye. Anyway I finally get to the complex and I'm thirsty. Coronas will be the selection for tonight because I'm not taking the train home at midnight drunk. 

9:30 to 11:15-  The game was interesting early on because it was so fast paced which led to so much yelling. We all realized that Kansas didn't have a prayer if they continued try to play Kentucky's style. Kentucky has numerous guys that can take it coast to coast then finish. Kansas had two guys at best in Taylor and Johnson. Kansas was hanging around early but then they started to miss too many shots that were rushed. That lead to Kentucky getting on the fast break scoring on easy dunks or hitting free throws. It was a nine point game fast and Bill Self had to call timeout because he's a very intelligent guy that knows he can't let this game get away. It amazed me how well Kentucky passed the ball which is a big thing in a John Calipari offense. On the next three possessions, Kentucky scored on assisted plays with Marquis Teague hitting some big shots. Teague hasn't been a huge star in the tournament but he has played a decent role in the Kentucky season. My favorite guy to talk so far is Jameel who is a disgusted Georgetown fan. Even though I hate Georgetown with complete passion, I could feel his pain. He knew his basketball saying that he couldn't understand why Georgetown could never win the national title since he became a fan. He makes a good point because Georgetown has developed some big time NBA talent. While he went on a mini rant with people telling him to shut up (I love it), Kentucky continued to dominate while Kansas couldn't hang. Dorion Lamb got going who seems to be their main scorer this tournament. I haven't heard much about Lamb before the tournament other than he can get hot at any time. He's been hot since the tournament began it seems like. The half ended with Kentucky up by fourteen thanks to some last minute buckets by Taylor and Robinson. We all realized that this national title game could end up getting ugly which surprised nobody. Kentucky was just too good this year and wasn't going to be beaten unless North Carolina was fully healthy.

North Carolina's backup point guard was the mascot for most of the season.

The second half begins with both teams struggling to score. Kentucky has finally been slowed down and starts to get sloppy with too much fancy passing. Kansas couldn't do much better and eventually found themselves down by sixteen again after a Terence Jones dunk. As I'm watching the game, I realize that nobody has really talked about Anthony Davis performance. The uni brow is always a nice topic to discuss but Davis seemed to be mostly a non factor on the offensive end of the floor. He was still rebounding and his usual blocked shots but he never got going offensively. Kansas cut the lead to ten thanks to some neat passing by Taylor to get some easy looks. People started to get excited but all of a sudden I get a text saying that someone is arriving on Raw. With massive rumors that Brock Lesnar is supposed to return, I knew I couldn't miss it. With the game going on, I pretend to get a phone call and told everyone it was from a girl. They all understood because women are the only excuse to miss the game. It's all about that money and a** according to these nice gentlemen. I go in the other room to put the USA network to see the usual John Cena promo. It amazes me how loud this crowd is in the American Airlines arena (home to the great Miami Heat). They are going insane screaming "Yes" and "You're a loser" to John. I was reading tweets all night how the crowd was fantastic which led to the huge "We Want Lesnar" chants. The arena was absolutely buzzing while I was getting way too excited. It was a good thing that eight people were in the living room that were still yelling and having a debate about if the Thunder are the best team in the NBA. All of a sudden, Brock Lesnar appeared and I started marking out (jumping up and down in non-wrestling terms). Lesnar came out to a huge pop from the crowd and I'm still shocked. It has been eight years since I've seen Lesnar on Raw. Cena starts to clap while Lesnar just looks at him like he's an idiot. They go to shake hands but Brock picks him up and hits the FS. All hell is breaking loose with the crowd going crazy. I'm jumping around like a six year old usually does on Christmas. It was an awesome moment to see Brock return because it has been long overdue. Eventually I collect my thoughts  and go back to the game where people are still yelling. Everything seems to be working well with my birthday just an hour away.

11:20 to 12:15-  The game is around five minutes left when I start watching again. Anthony Davis finally hits a shot much to the delight of a few Net fans in the place. They dream of getting Davis by winning the lottery. I'm happy I don't root for a team that puts their hope on winning the lottery. Kansas won't go away though with Tyshawn Taylor really stepping up in this game. He is the only Kansas player that had a better than average game shooting a high percentage and making plays all around. He cuts the lead to nine after a few jump shots. The lead gets cut to seven after Robinson hits two free throws which gets people nervous. Robinson didn't play very well this game due to being severely double teamed a lot and going up against a team that can athletically stop him. Kentucky got a much needed three from Teague but Kansas answered right back with a three from Johnson. This game wasn't ending that fast which was great to see. Robinson got to the free throw line and cut the lead to five with just a minute and thirteen seconds remaining which had people jumping. Now all Kansas needs is Mario Chalmers magic and this would be the greatest come back in history. I'll never forget that 2008 since it was the only time I was a March Madness pool with over three hundred people in (YES!). Tyshawn Taylor tried to be the hero again but got blocked by Kidd-Gilchrist then got called for a charge. Taylor was way too over aggressive which sums up his career. Taylor can be so brilliant at times then make bone head plays like that. He's not a player I loved in Kansas because of bone head plays like that. The game was still six after Taylor hit another jump shot which shocked me. Teague missed a critical free throw which gave Kansas a chance to cut it to three. Johnson had a nice look after a great pump fake but it was a clear travel. That ended Kansas hopes of winning after Lamb hit two free throws. Kentucky won the national title and it hit mid night so the birthday celebration was hear. We all took a shot of absolute to celebrate the night but I had to get home because class started at 8 am for me the next day. I really need to book my schedule much better next year. 

Kentucky deserved to win this game with a very controlled offense and simply playing more efficient. Jones and Kidd Gilchrist weren't mentioned a lot in this game but they each made some timely plays. Despite a horrendous shooting performance, Anthony Davis managed to still make a big impact on the game. Kansas simply was out matched and didn't good performances out of Robinson or Withey. It was nice to see the game get competitive at the end though because that's what you want as a casual fan not worrying about either team or your bracket. I found out the next morning thanks to Kentucky that I won a whopping twenty dollars in one pool for coming in 3rd (YES!). It caught me by surprise but thank you Kentucky. I'll make sure to use this money wisely (either a meal or beer is what I consider wisely). I'm going to do a whole March Madness round up on Friday on the highs and lows of the tournament for me. It will be just a full recap of some amazing moments and other moments where I screamed why.

Here Comes The Pain

Its like 2003 all over again with these two gentlemen.       

The return of Brock Lesnar on Monday Night was something that will never be forgotten. While Brock has several critics, nobody can forget what he did for the three years he was with the company. He put on some phenomenal matches and was becoming a huge face in the company. People seem to forget how much Lesnar did for the company due to being there not very long comparing to other wrestlers. Brock didn't look to be in the greatest shape Monday but don't discount the fact that he's dealing with injuries and illnesses dating back from the past few years. Now according to reports, Brock has already gotten heat backstage which doesn't surprise me at all. People always get jealous when someone comes in that is going to take another big spot. It does hurt because I'm always a guy that wants to see young talent but Brock won't be here for long. He is probably sick of the critics and wants to make one huge return. What shocks me about the contract he signed was that he'll make several appearances this year including twice a month. That seems really odd which makes me wonder what are they going to do with him. I'm not sure that you want him to compete unless its at a top four PPV. Also you don't want to ruin feuds by making them to early because the point of all this is to have Lesnar be in a big match for Wrestlemania 29. They could go in so many directions and I'll be mostly happy with whatever they do. The one thing that will annoy me is if they do Lesnar vs The Rock at Mania because they don't have much history except that Brock beat him for the title ten years ago.

The most likely scenarios are with Cena like how you saw Monday night and for the fact that if Brock stayed all these years with the company, he may have been the guy to be the face of this company. The other guy is obviously The Undertaker because of all the feuds they had back in the day and just last year, when Undertaker challenged him right after Lesnar lost his UFC title to Cain Velasquez. Those two match ups would be perfect for Mania because they have a huge back story to it. During the year, they could do something with the The Rock and possibly even CM Punk. Punk could always get under Brock's skin in a heart beat and they could have something there. I love the options for what they can do with Brock, but the main thing is to make sure they use him right for Mania. It's the biggest stage of the year and people want to see something fresh. That's why the contract seems a bit too excessive but you can't hate on it if you're a Lesnar fan which I am. Once I got into UFC, I was way over Lesnar ditching the company. It bothered me for a while but once I saw how awesome UFC was, it didn't annoy me anymore. I'm happy he's finally back and that he proved me wrong because I thought it would be a few years before he'd come back. I'm pretty positive that they can't screw this up even if they do something with Rock versus Lesnar at Mania. It would be a bit of a disappointment but still these are two iconic stars. The only thing that would be a huge let down is if they feud Lesnar with a returning Dave Batista. That would be beyond lame because it wouldn't be pretty. I'm a pretty big Batista critic but if he returned, I would understand it for business. That's a whole different topic though but the fact is I'm so excited to see Brock back and it should be really exciting to see what they could do with him. Also I can't help but bring the possibility up about bringing Paul Heyman fan. I've been a life long supporter of Paul for what he did with ECW and being the main reason why CM Punk actually made it to television. Heyman is an absolute genius and would be a huge asset to the return of Brock. That would be incredible to see but I'm not sure if that would happen. Imagine a Lesnar- CM Punk feud with Paul Heyman being in the center of it since both guys are "Paul Heyman guys". I need to calm down because I'm getting too excited about these possibilities. Thank you for coming back Brock, you have been missed. 

Nets Game & Plugs

I'm not going to full in depth about the Nets game. It was fun watching them beat the Pacers in shocking blowout fashion. The few things I got from the game was Deron Williams is so much fun to watch. I already know Deron was elite but the guy is a joy to watch. Marshon Brooks could be a star in the league if he improves on his play making skills. We know he can score but I'd like to see him do more. Kris Humphries should contend for most improved player of the year because Kris was forever a bust. It shocks me to see how much he improved running isolation plays and making a huge impact. That's all that impressed me about the Nets other than that, they aren't very good. Gerald Wallace is a horrible fit for that team and has one ugly jump shot, but you already knew that. For the Pacers that will make the playoffs and somehow beat the Knicks last night (YES!), they seemed out of it. Paul George is going to be an impact player in this league with his freakish athleticism and improved jump shot. Indiana has a nice core but they need some more star power. I'm not high on Darren Collison and Roy Hibbert needs to improve on his fitness. He seems fatigued through out the game and seemed to be dis interested. Indiana can make a run if they add some more star power with this young talent or the young talent could start becoming stars. I sat in the 6th row during the game which was an awesome view. They were only thirty dollars so it was well worth it. You will see the picture of Denis Svircic and I right below here. 

Oh my goodness!

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The March Madness Experience Part Two

The experience returns ready for another four days of madness. With my brackets, not looking too great it was desperation time already. When you have such obvious picks to win the entire championship like Kentucky and North Carolina, every win counts. The Sweet Sixteen returned with four games on Thursday night. The Vanderbilt and Missouri picks are in effect for tonight to hurt my bracket since they are already eliminated. The weekend started well for me and continued to go my way until the very last day. The experience resumes now!

Thursday

My name is Jay BIlas and I'm an awkward human being.

7:00 to 8:30-  At usual I'm stuck at my job on Thursdays which leads to another round of using my phone on the job for scores. The reason I couldn't get off was that I was going to be using my days off in the up and coming weeks due to concerts and basketball games. The first game of the night was Wisconsin vs Syracuse which didn't really apply to me. I wanted to see Wisconsin to win because I'm pretty sure not many people had them making the Elite 8. Both teams bore me so it wasn't bothering me that I was missing the game. With my job being boring as usual with the same old three people always being the reason I can't leave, it was time to go creep in a back corner and keep track of it. My job is so spooky sometimes with cobwebs and dust all around. It really feels like I'm in Harry Potter sometimes with the dark setting. Anyway finally the clock hits 8 and I'm out to meet up with Paul. Due to saving money for the weekend, I somehow went the whole night without eating dinner. My dinner was a milky way bar which was the first candy or chocolate I've touched since Halloween. I'm a bit of a health nut nowadays, although I'll never pass up on a good burger or steak. Anyway were headed to the local bar tonight to see some true madness. Of course their has to be some sort of pit stop because god forbid things could ever go smooth in my life. We end up in a Gigi's pizzeria because our friend Shane is hungry. The game ends up being really close at the end between Syracuse and Wisconsin. The big story in this game was how Wisconsin wasn't going away despite being down for most of the game. Many fouls were happening within the final two minutes which is always a bore. I'm pulling for Wisconsin but both these teams are truly dull. Wisconsin ends up not cracking the zone at the end of the game because they don't know how to drive the hoop and uses penetration. It was a very frustrating finish with Jordan Taylor shooting a prayer despite having more than enough time to win the game. I'm happy I didn't watch the whole game because it was ugly according to most people. It wasn't South Florida versus Temple ugly when both teams can't score more than 20 points in the first half but it wasn't pretty. We finally get to the bar, I'm thirsty.

8:30 to 12:00-  The place is packed because Adam is the bartender. Adam is up there with Neil Patrick Harris with my favorite homosexual in the world. I'm not against homosexuals at all and I'm more than happy to talk to them. If they are over aggressive, then it will be a problem but Adam is cool. He puts on sports and makes some jokes, everything is cool. Louisville versus Michigan State was going on but that's another game that didn't really interest me. They are tough defensive teams with not much star power so it won't excite me much. Louisville won with the upset because Michigan State can't shoot and Draymond Green was getting double teamed most of the game. Louisville plays like a team despite the lack of star power. They are fast, can push the ball up the court fast, and rotates well defensively. I had Michigan State winning both for some odd reason. The power of Tom Izzo failed once again for me, thanks Tom. The next games were coming up which would be much better. I'm in awe of how many loud mouths are in this bar with their high pitched New York voices. I don't mind it but if you ever decided to hang out with me, you will see the places aren't all that pretty. Anyway the Heinekens are cold and the place is packed so everything is settled. Paul isn't drinking because he's on some kind of medication and he's not an idiot. Ohio State versus Cincinnati was starting up which was my premier game of the evening. They are one of my final four picks and a loss here would be devastating. Cincinnati never really impressed me so I wasn't all that worried. They were going to be the usual pests that they are but then fade away at the end. Many guys in the bar were watching but for some reason, dogs kept coming into the place. They weren't any German Shepard dogs thankfully otherwise all hell would break loose and glass would be flying everywhere.

The game begins with Ohio State controlling the pace early on. Aaron Craft is one of the greatest defenders I've ever seen as a point guard. It's a shame the elite point guards in the NBA don't play defense like he does. Aaron just gets in your face and doesn't back off. He is absolutely brilliant how he annoys ball handlers and will force at least three turnovers a game and alter several shots. That's my kind of point guard regardless of his offensive ability. If he could handle the ball which he does and hit the open jump shot, then we got a player. Jared Sullinger was dominating as usual but it was the DeShaun Thomas show. I didn't know Thomas too well other than being a decent scorer but he literally scored everywhere on the court. He wasn't missing at all and had 20 points by halftime. I'm switching to Molson for a little bit because the Canadians make good beer. I wish I was with more people for this game but people were't really into it. I'm not sure how to explain it because the NBA didn't have any great games on. I'm not sure but as long as they were serving me beer and had the games on, why should I complain. Ohio State was up 12 at half thankfully so we could go pick up Sal. Sal works at Key Food and dresses classier than the average Key Food worker. His Italian accent kills him though and when he laughs, he laughs like an 8 year old so don't consider him a upper class gentlemen. Anyway we get back and Ohio State somehow loses the lead in a flash. They get sloppy in the ball and aren't rotating well to stop the streaking shooters on Cincinnati. My vintage faces were starting to show with my glasses constantly being taken off and cursing to myself. For the 34564th time, this is why I don't like to gamble because it gets me so angry. It was becoming such a sloppy game to the point where Paul started to motivate me to drink more. My class starts at eight in the morning the next day, it shouldn't be much of a problem right?

Ohio State ends up getting it together and winning in smooth fashion at the end. They were forcing several turn overs and taking advantage of Cincinnati's small size. It was a great win because many people had Florida State winning because apparently winning your conference tournament makes you a team that everyone will pick. It doesn't matter how limited you are and fortunate to play a weakened North Carolina team. You will be picked damn it! Anyway I didn't fall for that trap and Ohio State continued their run on to the Elite Eight to play Syracuse in a game where my bracket could make a huge push to the top or completely broken. A few more drinks to celebrate the win and I need to go to bed so I'm not a zombie walking around campus the next day. I did manage to watch a little bit of Florida versus Marquette but nothing really to get a full grasp of the game. Bradley Beal continues to impress me while the speed of Florida is outstanding. Marquette seemed to rush a bit too much and they shot poorly. Jae Crowder was forcing up too many shots and it ended what was an outstanding season for him. He's going to be a terrific player in the NBA with that kind of motor. Florida continues their shocking surge to the Elite 8 as a 7th seed. Gator nation is running wild brother!

Friday

7:30 to 11:00-  The games begin in Paul's car for the 2nd night in a row. We don't seem to be on time for anything unless it's a party. Xavier versus Baylor wasn't a game that really meant a lot to me thanks to Duke stinking. If you don't have an I-Phone, you should seriously buy a Droid. This was the best investment so far in 2012 for me. The Droid works so smoothly and fast with keeping track of games and videos. You know how much I pay a month for it? A whopping fifty dollars in what might be the greatest bargain since five dollar Mets tickets. Wait a minute, that's going to be happening for the night five years! I still wonder why I bought a blackberry last May when it cost me eighty-five dollars a month! Verizon is full of evil people, what can I tell you. We meet up with our good friend Joe who is the man. Joe is another child hood friend that is hilarious and is awesome. Despite changing the channel several times to watch the Knicks get destroyed by the Raptors, his house was a great place to watch games. With cold heinekens and not living in a huge mansion anymore, it was a perfect setting. Eventually the North Carolina versus Ohio game is put on because the Knicks didn't feel like showing up against the lowly Raptors. For some reason, North Carolina didn't show up against Ohio and were playing a competitive game against them. Ohio was the cinderella story right now as a 13th seed and they were starting to out play North Carolina. It was making no sense to me but it really seemed that North Carolina missed Kendall Marshall. Eventually the game continues to remain tight and I'm starting to get seriously worried. Everyone in the room is starting to pull for Ohio including Joe's girlfriend. People love to see me in agony these days because I'm pretty entertaining. North Carolina started to make me seriously worry which led to me getting out of my seat. That usually means standing and pouting or on the floor praying. It was getting really bad with Ohio continuing to just answer to everything North Carolina was doing. North Carolina would hit a three, but then Ohio would hit a shot and the foul. It was getting out of hand and I'm seriously wondering how is this happening. Harrison Barnes was having the worst game in his career and it didn't help that he couldn't even get a shot off at the buzzer. The game went to over time but we had to leave because Joe doesn't care for college basketball and he knows that something will break if North Carolina loses.

Eventually I'm watching the game on my phone in a parking lot. I'm not sure why since nobody has plans in sight. North Carolina pulled it out finally thanks to some turnovers and missed three pointers by Ohio. Tyler Zeller was having a big game thankfully and I'm in the parking lot screaming "yes" (Daniel Bryan would be proud). It was a huge win for me and thankfully I can breathe easy. Kentucky was playing Indiana next but I was fairly confident that Kentucky would handle business. They looked stellar so far in the tournament with no signs of slowing down. I'm watching the game on my phone sadly because people never have plans these days and things could get depressing. Eventually I'm going home once half time hits because this is pointless and I'm a nerd. Kentucky and Indiana were having a terrific game with both teams not letting up. They were scoring at will at times with lead changes everywhere. This game was looking like a classic and I wasn't going to be staring at ESPN game cast for the rest of the night. I'm in need of a screen, so screw you guys I'm going home (Eric Cartman would be proud).

11:00 to 12:30-  The game resumes with my ice cream in hand. I feel like a twelve year old watching the game alone on a Friday night but things happen. Cops start to patrol so you can't get into bars as well. The main reason the game was so close was Anthony Davis was out for most of the first half. Davis is the main enforcer for Kentucky on defense and they were allowing far too many easy buckets. He can alter the game instantly and that's what happened from the beginning. Indiana stopped driving thanks to Davis commanding presence. Indiana was hitting some shots but Kentucky started to become relentless. Dorian Lamb who has become the un sung hero for Kentucky this season was playing terrific. He gets forgot about when you look at the guys they have on the team but he can get the job done. The same can be said for Darius Miller who is the only senior that actually plays. The main star for Kentucky was Michael Kidd-Gilchrist who was driving the hoop at will. He seemed to get to wherever he wanted regardless of the Indiana big man. Corey Zeller (related to Tyler) is a terrific scoring big man but he isn't the same defensive commander like Tyler. I'm enjoying this in my room but I'm not going crazy because Kentucky doesn't surprise me. They were expected to control the game and they did that for most of the 2nd half to win. They didn't need the power of the unibrow in this one because it was a team effort that relentlessly scored in the 2nd half.

The other game going on was Kansas versus N.C State to end the Sweet 16. Kansas was playing like they usual do which was having trouble scoring and playing an ugly game. Tayshawn Taylor was having another rough game and Thomas Robinson was shooting at a low percentage. Robinson was still having an impact because he's an All American but he wasn't efficient. The big story was Jeff Withey was altering shots at an alarming pace with seven. N.C State had no idea how to counter it other than start taking more jump shots which never seems to work for them. It was a struggle for most of the game according to people and the last ten minutes which I saw. Both teams couldn't find clean looks as I'm not too worried about this game. Kansas wasn't a final four pick for me unlike some people so a loss here would kill me. It was just amazing how Kansas kept giving N.C State opportunities from missed field goals to not boxing out then to turnovers. It was a very odd Kansas performance because usually they don't lack fundamentals. Bill Self is an incredible coach and always has players primed to go. The ending had N.C State not even getting a shot off thanks to terrific defense. Kansas won another ugly game to the delight of many. That ended a quiet ending to a hectic night. Joe is the man for letting us watch that madness in his house, his girlfriend is awesome for dealing with my antics and outrageous yelling, and Paul is just Paul. He was pulling hard for Ohio because he's a sucker for upsets. I'm not especially when money is around.

 Money, Money. Yeah, Yeah

Saturday

4:30 to 6:00-  The first game of the Elite 8 was game which didn't really apply to many brackets in the nation. Unless you are a hardcore Florida fan and you were possessed when you did your bracket, you may seem to care. Also if you followed the "they won the conference tournament pick them" theory then you need to watch the game if you're not a casual fan. I managed to watch most of the first half until Anthony (another guy I would classify as "the man") introduced me to Blue Mountain State. I never watched the show but it was a really good show minus the annoying senior who seems to be a massive tool. He plays a good character which is to make you hate him, but I hate him way more than I should hate a character. From what I saw from the Louisville versus Florida game was how slow Louisville was despite having Peyton Siva. Florida seemed to show far more energy and more efficiency on offense. They were hitting from the three point line and seemed to be more comfortable. Once we started watching Blue Mountain State then went outside to go take some jump shots, the whole game changed. From what highlights I saw, Russ Smith (hometown hero in my area) started to get going and Chase Behanan had a solid game. I never heard of Chase until the tournament started, but he's a solid player. I'm not sure if he'll ever be a star but he is very efficient and is a work horse. Florida started to miss shots due to being impatient and seeing the game slow down. Florida wanted the game to be fast paced which they got in the 1st half. Louisville wanted more of a half court offense game which they got in the 2nd half. In the end, Louisville made more stops and were headed to the final four as a 4th seed. Joe is sad because Erving Walker is another home town hero and always liked him. I wish Florida went through but Louisville were the better team. Blue Mountain State is a great show though, you should check it out especially football fans.

Coolest backup quarterback ever!! Even cooler than you Tebow.

7:00 to 10:00-  The big game was finally here that would make this a successful night or not. Ohio State was playing Syracuse where brackets would be busted in terms of getting final four picks right. I'm in the living room but I can't watch the game properly right away. Joe is an obnoxious Knick fan and he is worried that the Knicks will lose to the Pistons because it's the almighty Pistons! Anyway there is nothing worse than people fighting over the remote. Anyway eventually I get a hold of but I'm instantly annoyed because Jared Sullinger gets into early foul trouble in a really stupid way. Unlike Kentucky, Ohio State doesn't have much depth and I wasn't sure if they were going to last without him. The game went on and it was pretty ugly with both teams canceling each other out. Scoop Jardine was getting frustrated because Aaron Craft is a great pest. Ohio State on the other hand wasn't scoring unless they got to the free throw line. It was ugly to watch with people complaining instantly including Joe who went in the other room to scream "Let's go Melo" twenty times a quarter. The game went to half tied with not much concern because Ohio State seemed to last without the main guy. Everyone was rooting for Ohio State for some reason at least possibly because Anthony has a glass table next to me and he doesn't want it to break. Sometimes I'm very embarrassed in my actions with sports, this is why I need a girl friend. Regardless if I win or lose, I have comfort and someone to hold. My mom would be that woman twelve years ago when I was 6, but those days are long gone. 

Anyway we get back to the game with Jared Sullinger turning it up. He started to hit shots in tough angles which got things really going. Without Fab Melo and his awful grades, they didn't have much of an answer for Jared other than to double team him which failed to work most of the time. Syracuse was hanging around due to hitting free throws and gusty play by Brandon Triche. Triche started to hit some big shots which was rare because he's been disappointing through out the tournament. The game was wearing down but Ohio State seemed to be in control although they started to play far too slow. Sullinger was getting tripled team but thanks to the zone defense, it would work. With three minutes remaining, it was time to stand and start to be fully concerned. Anthony kept saying "this game is over" which made no sense but in a way he was right. Ohio State looked much more confident and not on their heels. Lezelle Smith started hitting some huge threes which was literally in the NBA range while Syracuse started to have no answer. Eventually the game started to break away regardless how many times Syracuse would foul. It had some nervy moments but the game in Ohio State's hands like I expected when I picked them. It was a sigh of relief despite being on my knees saying why when Ohio State made things nervous. In the end though, it was success and I went out happy man celebrating with a few drinks. My bracket was on the rise with the final day of games for the weekend tomorrow. I was feeling pretty confident even though people were hyping up Kansas. I wish I was more confident in not having to piss all the time when I drink. 

Sunday

2:00 to 4:30-  Applebees was the setting for this one with my gym buddy Chris. We were both confident with Kentucky today against Baylor. Baylor is talented and can play with any team in the country but they are far too inconsistent which showed in this game. Despite the loud babies crying because why in the world would you bring a baby to Applebees, it was a good spot. Whenever I go to Apple bees, my team usually wins except Game 6 of the Heat Mavs game because things just don't go my way. Baylor started out fast and looking to be a supreme threat with some quick play. Eventually that ended fast and Kentucky went absolutely insane. They started to push the ball faster which left Baylor pointing the finger blaming each other. Then they were getting too caught up in finding the open man and it led to even more trouble. Turnovers were being caused far too easily and Kentucky was having all the fun in the world. Baylor had some moments coming back but this game was no contest which was a bit shocking. You would think Baylor would put on a better performance but they simply failed to show up until it was too late. Perry Jones III didn't start playing until the 2nd half while Quincy Acy was the only player that looked decent in the 1st half. Kentucky won on a team effort with four players in double figures and decimated Baylor in every major category in the game. It was a calm game that Chris and I approved of to get more points in the bracket. Kentucky looked unstoppable and it was time to move on to another show down. This game had me great concern but at least Chris was on my side with North Carolina. I don't know why but I hate people that are rooting against me when money is on the line. When it's just a casual game, nothing is better than trash talking. The highlight of Applebees was free Mountain Dew refills and finally no jokes about how Mountain Dew ruins your sperm. That joke is beyond lame and so 2005. 

5:00 to 8:00-  The next destination is my house because I'm full and in no mood to drink. With nobody home, it would be perfect so I could yell and curse forty fives times in a minute without feeling guilty. The game begins with both teams just flat out scoring. North Carolina and Kansas weren't letting up which was shocking considering Kansas hasn't shot well in ages. Tayshawn Taylor decided to hit a few shots in this once since he has shot a whopping 24% in the first three games of the tournament. Taylor was considered a huge recruit for Kansas when they picked him up but he has vastly disappointing for most of his career until this year. North Carolina was still without Kendall Marshall which meant Kansas would have a huge advantage in the guard position. They also were a bit undersized against Kansas which led to me assuming that Kansas would win which would kill my bracket. It was close for most of the game but North Carolina just seemed to get lit up and failed to step up defensively. Kansas was getting any look that they wanted and looked good going into halftime even if it was tied. I'm already worried which leads to me drinking more ginger ale than a normal man should within two hours. The game continued to role on with Tayshawn Taylor taking over and Harrison Barnes fading away. When the season started, people were hyping Harrison Barnes to be the next big thing in college basketball. He was nowhere near playing up to the hype and it showed. It was frustrating watching this game because it was tough to imagine a number one seed struggling this much that was considered a huge favorite in the tournament other than Kentucky. Marshall was missed but I never expected to see North Carolina let up like they did at the end. Kansas eventually over powered them which led to me staring at my ceiling for next fifteen minutes screaming why. This meant my bracket was done because North Carolina plays a major role in my bracket. Kansas clearly was the better team and seemed to get what they want far too easily. 

The sad part of all of this was Kansas is my favorite power house team. Since they won me money in 2008 and always seem to have a team that I always like, I usually picked them. They have let me down the past few years so I backed off this year. That was a huge mistake in believing in the soft Tar Heels and not the physical Kansas. This was the end of my bracket hopes of winning money. It had a nice fun run but it was another year of full disappointment.

What Chester said up top.

That's the end of Part Two of the March Madness experience. It was pretty wild but it ended in such a depressing way. I thought the Heat could cheer me up playing in the night game but they got dominated by the Thunder. I would say I'm going to miss going crazy over games and not being able to sit, but the NBA playoffs start in a month so I'll be right back at it. I still have another weekend to watch as a fan and I'll be pulling for Kansas. The last part to the March Madness experience will be up tomorrow morning. My Final Four trip was a bit dull but tonight will be fun. I'm going to the city to watch it in an apartment full of hardcore basketball fans that play always. It's going to be really cool regardless if I'm going to get four hours of sleep since I live forty-five minutes away from the city. I'll be recapping that tomorrow along with my trip to the Nets Pacers game from last week.

Mania Thoughts
I promised to give some thoughts about WrestleMania since I'm such a huge fan. I watched it with few friends so I had a good vibe from it. If you want a full review, simply go on twitter to follow @JohnReport or go on www.TheJohnReport.net. That's the best site that gives you the best information. Anyway here's my thoughts from match to match.

Four of the big matches, well the first one didn't go to plan.

Sheamus vs Daniel Bryan- This was the biggest let down of the night by far. Instead of a possible fifteen minute four star match, we get 18 seconds of garbage. Sheamus is great and deserves the title but this could have been special. It would have been great to see both guys really create some magic and make fans realize how special both guys truly are. Instead Sheamus gets a tainted victory and nothing really makes sense. According to reports, they wanted to make history and make it the shortest title match ever. That is the worst concept ever and it's a complete slap in the face to Daniel Bryan who has been incredible in his heel run. The only positive of this match was how much the crowd loved Bryan. The infamous "YES" chant was over with the crowd so much and posters were everywhere for Bryan. It was so cool but in the end, it was a huge dud to see these guys not get any time to work for the 2nd straight year in a row. The World title is supposed to get respect, clearly WWE didn't give it any.

Kane vs Randy Orton- Both guys are in my top ten favorites of all time but even I didn't like the feud. The feud didn't make much sense and it was just thrown together which is a shame. That being said, the match was pretty solid and both guys worked hard. They realized that they needed to give the crowd something because it was clear that this match didn't really matter. They both had some cool spots but shockingly Kane got the win with a choke slam from the top turnbuckle. I certainly didn't expect it but it was a cool spot. Kane gets a huge win in possibly his last match in Mania history for him.

Cody Rhodes vs The Big Show- This was going to boring like most would expect. Big Show needs to retire and hopefully this will be his last title reign. I'm happy for Show because he could use this as his huge moment and this will elevate Cody to main event status but still this match wasn't very good.

Kelly Kelly & Maria Meneunos vs Beth Phoenix & Eve Torres- This wasn't as bad as I expected similar to Kane versus Orton. They actually had me entertained for a bit mainly because I'm a huge Beth Phoenix fan. Maria was the celebrity from Extra even though I never heard of her. She had some dark spot on her behind which had people wondering if she took a dump in her pants before the match either that or Eve Torres has to lay off the makeup. It was a pretty fun match but thankfully it ended fast. Maria got the win because all celebrities win although Eve should have taken the pin. I'm sick of them making Beth look that weak.

Triple H vs Undertaker with HBK as ref- This was an excellent match but I'm not going to go crazy over it. I'll give all three men respect where its due because they told an amazing story. Even though Taker looks horrible with the new hair cut, he put on a pretty good performance with great facial expressions. Triple H looked good as well and was really selling the pain well. Shawn Michaels may be my new favorite referee all time thanks to his facial expressions after moves. He was brilliant in a very well told story but that's what it was. It had huge spots and it really caught people's eyes but it really had some moments where I was bored early on. I knew Undertaker would win all along because that's the streak but they really had my mind blown at time. It was a great job by all three men but hopefully they don't compete anymore. I can see Taker doing one more match but after how Triple H left, he should be done. I'm happy this feud is over because the build up and promos were absolutely unbearable but they put on a great performance for the second best match of the night.

Team Johnny vs Team Teddy- It was a bit awkward but it went well at the end. It was great to see Booker T (WUT DA HAYELL!) return and do some work with guys. Dolph Ziggler stood out to me like he usually does in his matches because he takes moves like an absolute champ. It was strange to see David Otunga not get any action since he was the captain but I certainly didn't miss him. In the end, it worked well perfectly with Eve Torres distracting Zach Ryder which led to The Miz getting the win for Team Johnny. Team Johnny was the right decision because Teddy Long at GM is getting so lame. A new direction for both shows is great and Miz got some serious momentum back. Eve Torres had her Trish Stratus moment by kicking Ryder in the nuts. It reminded me of Jericho and Trish at Wrestlemania 20 which was epic. This was a cool match and thankfully the right team won.

CM Punk vs Chris Jericho- I expected this to steal the show and it did. This match was absolutely brilliant with so many reversals and great technique. They told a great story early with how Jericho was bringing up Punk's family to try to get him disqualified. I was laughing so hard when Jericho said how is your sister. Those little things make Jericho my favorite of all time. They finally got the match going back and forth with some insane spots. The Walls Of Jericho from the top turnbuckle had me jumping off my chair then followed up by a Lion Tamer. The Code Breaker spot on Punk after he went for a flying close line was awesome. This match wasn't five stars but it was really close to it. They had so many great back and forth sequences that you really thought Jericho would win. In the end, Punk made Jericho tap to the Anacdona Vice which was perfectly set up. This made me so happy to see with my two all time favorites putting on an amazing show. The crowd wasn't into it at first but eventually they went crazy. Miami wasn't a great crowd at all so to me, I'm not going to rate the crowd. Next year when I'm at Met life, I'll make sure people are going insane. It's matches like these that got me back into it after being away from it for a long time.

The non wrestling segments were pretty weak. Heath Slater talking trash to Flo Rida was really corny, although my boy Curt Hawkins made an appearance which is awesome. Brodus Clay dancing with old fake moms was really awful. I'm already sick of the gimmick, he needs a feud. The Foley Santino thing was kind of corny but Ron Simmons (Hall Of Famer!) did his classic "damn line". It was great to see Edge make an appearance since he headlined this year's Hall Of Fame. Other than Jericho, Punk, and Austin nobody tops Edge for me in terms of my favorites. Flo Rida and Machine Gun Kelly's performances weren't needed and were way overboard. Can we have CM Punk vs Stone Cold next year then have Living Colour and Distrubed come perform. I'd be going insane.

The Rock vs John Cena- The most hyped match of all time was great but something was missing a bit. It looked a bit slow but they both got the job done. The spots were effected perfectly and I can't believe Rock won. The whole room was shocked that Cena couldn't kick out of the Rock Bottom. I'm not sure why they picked The Rock but I could only assume their will be a re match soon enough. It had some magical moments and I couldn't say I was upset.


Overall it was a really good Mania with three terrific matches. It had some other decent ones where the guys worked hard. The main let down was Sheamus vs Daniel Bryan without a doubt and that really drops my grade for it. If they got fifteen minutes, this could have been a top two Mania for me all time. I have watched full Manias from 16 to now 28. We all know that 17 is forever the greatest and will probably never be topped. I'm still going to say that this one is probably my 2nd favorite of all time. Wrestlemania 21 is right there with some instant classics and crazy matches but the fact that my two favorites all time fought just puts it over barley. You can go with either one but Wrestlemania 28 will have special place in my heart. 

The March Madness Experience Part One

Other than the NFL playoffs and European Cup, nothing beats March Madness (World Cup has been dull  when I watched it). I've been watching the NCAA college basketball tournament since 2004 along with being in pools to win money for having a bracket better than everyone. I've only achieved that once in 2008 when Mario Chalmers hit a game tying three at the buzzer to send it to overtime. Kansas won the game in over time to beat Memphis and the game was so good that it got two pages in my auto biography! I take this very seriously and for some reason, I feel like my life depends on it. I'll admit that I'm a bit too competitive but these games really get me stressed out. This is why I don't gamble on anything else but college basketball because otherwise I would have gray hair by the time I turn 25. Anyway this tournament means a lot to me with so many special moments that I'm finally happy that I could cover one from my stand point. I'm breaking it down into three parts from the round of 64 and 32 to the sweet sixteen and elite eight. Then the 3rd part will be about the final four and national championship. The next two parts will be more specific and I'll talk about mostly every game since I managed to watch just about each one. The first two rounds is very tough to catch all the games like you would imagine so I tried my best. It's now time to finally give you the first four days of my March Madness experience which didn't seem to go so well. Also in case you're wondering, I didn't watch the play in games because they didn't interest me. I know if you go to Iona and you're reading this, you will be psyched to hear that news. Wait I just brought up Iona, people must hate me already. I do two brackets every year with one bracket being my honest bracket with my honest picks. Then I do an upset bracket that has me pick a different national champion with ten different picks from the honest bracket. My final four was Ohio State, North Carolina, Missouri, and Kentucky in both brackets. My honest bracket had Kentucky winning it while the upset bracket had North Carolina winning it. I'll discuss my picks as we go along but those are the main things to remember.

Coming to you live from four different channels. I don't know what True TV is though

Thursday

12:00 to 3:00- Even though I'm growing older and changing, I tend to keep the same traditions with me since I was a young child. One of my favorite things to keep with me is missing class on whatever day that the tournament begins. I'll admit that I missed last year's opener due to the St.Patrick's parade but I have a long streak of missing school to see the early games begin. The first game began with Murray State who lost one game this year against Colorado State. The game consisted of two mid major schools so I had no idea what I was watching. I'm usually knowledgable of teams that play in a power six conference (ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac 12, and SEC schools basically). I'm making eggs while watching both teams remind me of watching a CYO game with how sloppy they were playing. CBS has a tendency of showing the worst games early on because America wants you to buy cable and take your money! Murray State ended up winning to my delight because Colorado State flat out stunk. The other early games had Rodney McGruder realize that Kansas State has nothing more but a bunch of under achievers on their team. He realized that just before the game begun and took over scoring thirty points helping them beat Southern Miss. The local mad man that is also Kansas State coach known as Frank Martin still wasn't happy because Frank Martin is never happy! Anyway Louisville won in a dull game over Davidson. I bet a few losers picked Davidson in that game in hoping the 2nd coming of Stephen Curry was on that team. They were wrong in doubting the Big East Champions! That's not saying a lot because the Big East conference was terrible this year. I never thought I would ever say that because year after year the Big East is absolutely amazing. 

3:00 to 5:00- The next batch of games had me mostly watching Marquette against BYU. Marquette was one of the few Big East schools that actually played like a great team this year. With players like Jae Crowder and Darius Johnson Odom, no way they would lose to a  bunch of virgins (that's a low blow). Anyway I refuse to make anymore BYU jokes because BYU is a pretty good team and they made a few of my Iona friends cry (soon to be ex friends after they read this). Every year I usually make a "strange' upset pick with a low seed in my honest bracket. That happened to be Montana because I never like Wisconsin with their rugged style. That didn't work with Wisconsin making quick work of those losers. My upset bracket had Wisconsin so not all hope was lost. Since I change up my schedule far too often, I had to work for a few hours. That means I'd be missing a few games and would have to rely on my phone to keep track of games. I thought it wouldn't bother me too much but that didn't last long. I ended up missing a crazy 16 vs 1 seed game. I'm not sure if their ever has been a situation like that but UNC-Asheville gave Syracuse all it could handle. If that would have happened, I would have missed history. I'm literally on my phone right when I get to work while I'm jumping in the air wondering what will happen next. A few awkward calls favoring Syracuse and the unthinkable didn't happen. I sigh in relief not because I care for Syracuse, but because I want to witness the first ever 16 versus 1 seed upset . It will happen one day, believe me it will. Anyway work has begun and I officially join the club of "I'll be on ESPN.com for my entire shift, don't bother me".

Read Below, this under library rules.

1. I'd scan books as the hard working librarian that I am. Of course ESPN will be on the other side.

2. Bathroom breaks turn into ten minute trips to make sure things are going smoothly.

3. Find a corner and hide because old ladies never shut up and always want to talk to me.

4. The fake coughing tactic usually works, that leads to some more water breaks.

5. When I fill out my time sheet, I'll make sure to go in the back and search for pens even though their five in front of me.

6. My mom is calling me and she is more important than work. They somehow believe that!

7. I go in the mystery section and pretend to read a book, but in reality I'm seeing if Long Beach can score the upset.

5:00 to 10:00 - Speaking of Long Beach, that was my classic "upset underdog story" pick in my upset bracket. Sadly they didn't know how to hit threes and were beaten by New Mexico. I hate you Sports Illustrated for giving them a four page article and basically begging me to believe that this team will make some sort of run. The big game going on at work was known as the genius battle between Harvard and Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt was my pick to make the elite eight despite being only a fifth seed. With a weak Syracuse team as the first seed, I thought they were bound to make a huge run regardless if they haven't won a game in the tournament in 2008. The game had me worry a bit but Vanderbilt got the job done with shooting specialists like John Jenkins and Jeremy Taylor. Harvard was a hot upset pick here because Vanderbilt always chokes and people believing the team had the 2nd coming of Jeremy Lin (fools!). I finally get home from work to see Kentucky and Gonzaga dominating. I'm happy to see that because people were all over West Virginia for being a "Big East team". Gonzaga had the same team from last year that dominated a great St.John's team (I miss that team) and shouldn't have trouble against the West Virginia Kevin Jones & other guys team. The big problem game was Wichita State against VCU which was on CBS because CBS likes to keep me worrying. Wichita State was my sweet sixteen pick because I'm an idiot that didn't believe in Indiana. They didn't even last long thanks to poor shooting and horrible rotating defense. I don't know much about Carl Hall other than the fact that he's a clueless player that doesn't know a damn thing about rotating defense. After seeing VCU hit an effortless three to take the lead with a minute left, it was the first tirade alone in my room. I watched all the games at my house alone because my friends and I didn't co-exist well when it came to plans that night (lame excuse, tell me about it). VCU ended up winning and I was on my chair shaking my head in disgust. The classic 12 versus 5 seed matchup went to the 12 seed which seems to happen every day. I'm too stupid to realize that of course because I don't know mid major schools and I'm not lucky. Baylor was having some problems with South Dakota State but they weren't in any danger of losing with top ten draft talent like Perry Jones III. The game was hindered by Marv Albert making R3 references because Robert Griffin III came from Baylor just like Perry Jones III. That was just one of fifty reasons why the game was hindered because Marv Albert is horrible. 

10:00 to 12:30- The last batch of games went down with me annoyed with Wichita State because I hate losing games that should have been won. My brackets are doing well but with a lack of upsets early on, everyone should have a good bracket. The main game I was watching was Iowa State vs UConn because once again the logic of "pick the Big East team" proved to be wrong for people. UConn was so overrated this year with inconsistent play all around. Usually when a team has problems all season around with major issues, they won't last in the tournament. Iowa State isn't a great team, but they are disciplined and really controlled the game. My logic continues to work although my logic of picking mid major schools continued to fail. After Charles Barkley rambled on how UNLV is going to make a huge splash in the tournament, I thought they would win one game. That didn't happen and Colorado beat them with mostly ease, although UNLV made a run at the end. I was pretty annoyed with my bracket because I knew people were doing better than me. Ohio State and Indiana won with ease as I barley paid attention to those games. I mostly worry about the games that have close seeds in the first round, not the lopsided games. It was well past midnight and it was time to go to bed in a sad mood. Who would have thought the next day would get even more worse.

Friday

1:30 to 4:30- Sadly I can't miss class two days in a row. With games starting early, it led to missing some early games. I got to watch some of the almost Cincinnati collapse against Texas. I was literally cursing to myself when I  was coming home from school. Cincinnati nearly lost a twenty two point lead to a very weak Texas team that was on a UConn level of inconsistency and problems through out the season. They pulled through though which led to me breathing easier while grabbing a pepperoni slice for lunch. The pizzeria is full of old Italians that know nothing about basketball so of course they rather have Judge Joe Brown on rather than the tournament. I'm happily seeing an upset win pulled out by N.C State who was a team that I believed that could make some noise. The N.C State upset pick was based on seeing how hard they played against North Carolina in the ACC tournament and how awesome Shane Helms rants were about how underrated N.C State was (thanks Shane). The close seeds were pulling through for me early on with Creighton squeaking by Alabama that had me going crazy. I'm going crazy for a 9 versus 8 seed game because I'm not mentally stable when the tournament starts. With the every game counts mindset, my house isn't healthy to be in when I'm around. My mom was relieved that I was leaving for the gym in a few hours and then heading to a house to watch the night games with a few gym friends. Florida dominated Virginia in a game where I literally watched for about a minute. The same goes for Georgetown against Belmont because I hate Georgetown and didn't pick them far. The big game going on was St.Bonaventure against Florida State in a shocking competitive game. Florida State was a hot pick following winning the ACC tournament which meant they beat Duke and North Carolina. They were the hot pick to make the final four, but I wasn't on the bandwagon. I had them losing to Ohio State mainly because Florida State doesn't have much star power and they go through far too many stretches when they just can't score. That seemed to be the case in this game but they pulled out a three point victory. Everyone on twitter was freaking out about the game but they all got to breathe easy. With Missouri and North Carolina playing against push over teams coming up, it was the perfect time to get a work out in before the night games. Did I say push over teams? That didn't seem to be the case right Missouri?

6:00 to 9:45-  I'm finished working out then after showering and picking up some Subway, we get to Chris house to go crazy for the next six hours. When we put on the TV, we all see Missouri being a bunch of dopes and playing horrible. They aren't driving to the hope or rotating to the open man. This isn't the "forty minutes of hell" team that I saw all season. With everyone screaming since most of us had Missouri going to Final Four except Julian because he has a fetish for Tom Izzo coached teams. Missouri ended up getting pounded on the boards and missing too many three pointers to lose by three when it was over. The 15th seed won and brackets were getting destroyed world wide. Missouri will forever be a place that I'll hate even though I loved him for all these years because of their crazy style. The only good thing out of Missouri these days is Sean Weatherspoon (Falcons rising star outside linebacker representing!). With Missouri losing, everyone is already in a foul mood and I'm all sad to begin with. I'm a huge fan of Subway and I'm always eating the Chicken Bacon Ranch sandwich, but for the first time ever I didn't enjoy it. We head to the night games with my momentum being squashed after going undefeated all day. The downfall continued with Memphis getting out played by St.Louis which leads to me realizing that Seth Davis needs to go away. He was going on a bit of a rant after the brackets were announced on how Memphis should have been a 6th or 7th seed. They sure showed it shooting at a poor rate and not showing much urgency, thanks Seth. Saint Mary's couldn't beat a mostly one man team in Purdue with Purdue getting contributions not only from Robbie Hummel. That was another loss for me along with Michigan getting upset by Ohio. My bracket is starting to rack up losses but the biggest one had to be Duke. Another 2nd seed went down with Duke losing to Leigh in dramatic fashion. With all the NBA future prospects on Duke, they couldn't get the job done. It was a case of rushing shots and simply not executing properly. Austin Rivers looked fed up while Seth Curry was a non factor. Duke was going to be a possible final four team for me but once they were paired with Kentucky, it wasn't going to happen. In my upset bracket, I even had Baylor beating them because I'm high on them. That ended up being smart so I wasn't too mad about Duke. It was just really shocking seeing two 15th seeds beat the top dogs. Duke has a large fan base, but I'm not really friends with any Duke fans. Nobody seemed to be upset but it was just shocking.

Stand up for Leigh!

9:45 to 12:30-  The late games were finally going on and we were all forced to watch Notre Dame. Julian is a huge Notre Dame fan but since St.Patrick's Day was tomorrow, he didn't want to go to the bar (thank you Jesus). With Michigan State and Kansas playing weak teams, I didn't mind. With all the second seeds losing today, we were a bit concerned with Kansas but they handled their business. The other game I kept track of was Temple versus South Florida which was a game that I felt bad for people who were watching it. Despite all the praise I heard from my buddy Chris Choe who goes to Temple, they were shooting horrible against a weak South Florida team. I had Temple going to the Sweet Sixteen so I was a bit concerned with the ugly first half. Meanwhile the Notre Dame and Xavier game was going back and forth which was fun. Eventually when 2nd half started, Temple started to implode and I really got heated. After going 0-4 in the early night games, the last thing I needed was another sweet sixteen team losing. That was the case with Temple imploding against a South Florida team that needed a play in game to get in and had nobody average more than ten points a game this season. It was absolutely ridiculous and it got me heated despite my favorite holiday being tomorrow. Things got even more worse with Notre Dame letting go of a late lead thanks to Tru Holloway going insane. He was scoring at will with Notre Dame having no answer which led to a first round exit for the Fighting Irish and Julian immediately drinking (He doesn't give a damn about the consequences!). He knew they weren't going far, but all he wanted was one win. I had the game split with two different winners in my bracket so I wasn't upset. Still it was a rough night overall after having so much hope from an undefeated afternoon. I went to bed immediately and just wanted to wake up with a Guinness in my hand. 

Saturday

8:00 to 4:30-  This is an experience, not just calling all the March Madness action. The experience includes my favorite holiday and the celebration. St.Patrick's Day starts early with me which includes a load of Guinness, Heineken, and Molson. With a group of friends, we all drink by our local friendly bar then head to the parade. Sadly I'm not feeling much of a buzz so for the most part, I'm sober for an odd season. I had six beers then a twenty-four can of Steel Reserve (which always destroys my mental state). Next time I'm not eating eggs for breakfast because that might have fought off everything. Anyway the parade certainly wasn't as fun as last year because the city seemed less crowded. I'm not sure what was going on but things just weren't that hectic and wild. I'll recap last year's St.Patrick's Day sometime this month to give you a clearer picture, but basically things were too calm. As usual we all got split up, with Paul and I finding some women. The women were actually our good friend Antoinette along with a few of her Greek friends. Her Greek friends wanted nothing to do with us because they were all high classy and absolutely lame (hate super high classy women). If you read my autobiography, you could be wondering how the three of us somehow get along? I'm not going to get all personal but basically were all friends now and happy. Antoinette is still amazingly attractive while Paul and I are the same rude, snarky, awesome duo. We had our fun with her and running into some old friends (John K deserves a mention, he's one of my favorite Greeks ever). Anyway we finally decide to head home at 3 and I finally have time to check my phone. Paul falls asleep on the subway for no apparent reason while I'm checking scores. Syracuse somehow dominated Kansas State after barley beating UNC-Asheville. Frank Martin must have kicked three garbage pails before, during, and after the game. Ohio State versus Gonzaga was going on which was an intriguing matchup. I wish the game was later so I could watch it because both teams are fun to watch. Gonzaga gave Ohio State some problems which included to me cursing at my phone several times with Asians staring at me. Ohio State eventually won because they are the more complete team and didn't need a huge performance out of Jared Sullinger. Aaron Craft was the star in that game from what I saw in highlights. I finally get home around 4:30 thanks to our good friend Irene. She is a sober girl and was a sweet heart for taking us home. 

Happy holidays 

5:00 to 8:30-  Murray State vs Marquette was next in another intriguing matchup. The Round of 32 is pretty awesome considering these possible upset match ups. I'm alone in my room eating my dinner trying to get a meal in before heading out for Round Two of drinking tonight. The game was pretty tight for the most part although I was somewhat drifting out of the game. With Wisconsin playing Vanderbilt in a huge game for me, it was tough to fully grasp the game. Vanderbilt was an Elite 8 pick for me so this game meant much more. Marquette pulled out the win against Murray State thanks to big time defense to fluster Murray State and Jae Crowder being a beast. Crowder could be a bit wild at times and could improve on his jump shot, but Crowder is an excellent player with a bright future. Wisconsin versus Vanderbilt started to get me heated with Wisconsin really controlling the game for the most part. They weren't shooting a high percentage but they seemed to be in command. It got me really worried plus the adrenaline started to kick in where I couldn't sit. Usually when games start to get close in any sport, I'll start standing or even worse lay on the floor. It depends where I'm at of course, you'll never see me lay on a floor at the bar. Anyway the game started to get really tight with Vanderbilt going on a huge run. They weren't shooting that great thanks to a horrible shooting performance from John Jenkins and Jeffery Taylor. Eventually the game was nearing the end where a few missed free throws then a missed Jenkins three ended the game. I'm enraged and can't believe they let me down against a decent Wisconsin team. After beating almighty  Kentucky to win the SEC tournament, Vanderbilt should have done much better. That was a huge blow to my bracket and really got me upset. At this point, I didn't really want to pay attention to college basket ball for the rest of the night. If it was on the bar, I'll watch it because it will be there. But for some reason, I wasn't going out of my way to track games on my phone. 

8:30 to 1:30-  The night kept on getting worse with bars checking for id's everywhere. In case you haven't realized, I'm a eight teen year old boy that gets plenty of advantages when it comes to things. Tonight wasn't the case since I was with an army worth of friends. The night kept on getting depressing with me venting to a few other friends. It turned out to be an awful night just bar hopping with no success. I didn't really catch any game so consider this the night that I let you down. I was traveling in cars all night with no interest to track games on my phone. Kentucky and Baylor took care of business with blowout wins. Louisville continued to fight for wins with a squeaky win over New Mexico. Indiana continued to prove me wrong with a tight win over VCU. Indiana really impressed me based on highlights and it really made me regret not picking them. They would have destroyed Wichita State. After seeing girls puke in cars, people complaining, and talking to some friends on how things stink, it was time to go home. A fun day quickly turned into a dull night, its time like this that I wish I had a girlfriend. 

Sunday

1:30 to 5:00-  Due to waiting lines for paying phone bills and running errands, I missed some of the action early on. It was another day of watching games at home but I had open crib! With people hung over, I didn't expect anyone to come visit me. That wasn't a problem though because I didn't mind watching games alone. With my crabby mood, I'm not sure if you wanted to watch a game with me. I managed to watch the 2nd half of the N.C State upset over Georgetown in a pretty epic game. They were my upset pick to make it to the sweet sixteen and I nailed it. Georgetown suffered through shooting problems along with foul trouble. Harry Sims was going through serious foul trouble and communication problems in the offense. That hurt the team big time with Georgetown basically becoming a one man team led by Hollis Thompson. N.C State was a far more complete team despite their foul shooting woes. They held on to a three point win which had me really happy and proud of myself (Shane Helms strikes again!).   I was drifting in and out of the Michigan State game. They were playing St.Louis in a really dull game because that's what Michigan State is about. They don't win in flashy ways but they play strong defense and let Draymond Green be the guy to carry the team. Green is a terrific player and had an incredible season for the Spartans. Brandon Wood stepped up, but Green was the major reason why they beat St.Louis. I was drifting in and out of the game just worn out from yesterday and everything else. I took a break from college basketball for a bit to go exercise to get my mind off things. 

6:00 to 9:30-  Many games are going during the frame of time. It was nice to see North Carolina finally play in the tournament because for some reason, they seemed lost in the shuffle. They were my pick to win it all in one bracket then lose to Kentucky in the finals in the other. With John Henson back, they looked dominant against Creighton. Despite the huge win, the news of Kendall Marshall dislocating his wrist was huge. Marshall was a huge factor in North Carolina's success and it immediately had me concerned. Thankfully North Carolina was playing easy competition in the next round thanks to Ohio upsetting South Florida. I didn't catch any of the game because it had no appeal but a huge 2nd half helped them. South Florida's scoring troubles were going to hurt eventually especially with Ohio having loads of scoring options. I was really interested in watching the 15th seeds play because they destroyed brackets world wide. I love the upset story but it didn't last long. Norfolk State was no contest against Florida which disappointed me. I caught the first half and Florida's speed really set the tone. You knew Florida could score, but the way they played defensively was impressive. It was a complete team effort but Bradley Beal stood out to be the guy that set the tone. The other 15th seed playing was Leigh and they made things interesting against Xavier. Despite Xavier winning by twelve, Leigh really kept things tight but simply couldn't score enough to win. They couldn't get out of transition and got caught up in the slow paced game that Xavier loves to play. In case you're wondering, I'm not showing much emotion in these games because my bracket was busted. The Xavier vs Leigh game was enjoyable based on seeing how would Leigh last. The madness began once Purdue faced Kansas in a physical game. These were two teams that loved to play physical and wasn't shy from fouling you hard. Purdue really took it to Kansas early with stifling defense and capitalizing on mistakes. Robbie Hummel was on throughout the game which didn't surprise anyone. After two seasons of torn ACL's, he wasn't going to go down without a fight. Kansas eventually fought back by simply challenging Purdue to use their other players. Lewis Jackson stepped up a bit, but Purdue simply was lacking other scoring weapons. I started heavily getting concerned though because Kansas wasn't scoring and it had me pounding my desk in frustration. Tayshawn Taylor couldn't hit a shot to save his life while Thomas Robinson was getting frustrated. Eventually Kansas started to swarm Purdue and they took the lead off the heroics of Elijah Johnson. Ironically I was on the phone with my Croatian buddies Ante and Denis from Croatian Sports. com while watching the game. Ante is a die hard Kansas fan, so he was going crazy over the team. Kansas pulled out the win after clamping down for the last minutes on Purdue. Kansas prevailed in a thrilling win which led to Twitter not exploding again. 

9:45 to 12:30-   The last game of the night was Cincinnati versus Florida State. The issue going into this game was that I had a fantasy baseball draft at 10 pm. I'm not much of a baseball fan and I wasn't really picking players, but I do know players and I had my friend Anthony in my league so were co managers. Still people want to talk to me so it was difficult talking to people and watching the game. The game was a slugfest like I expected because both teams don't have many star players. They were both defensive minded teams that don't like to score that much. If Florida State lost, I knew people would be so upset because they were a hot pick for the final four. It was too close to call through out the game, as I wonder who in the world are Jemile Weeks and Matt Joyce? I miss the days in baseball where Jim Thome and Josh Beckett were considered awesome picks. People were heckling me for not knowing much but some knowledge and history lessons about being a Mets fan does the trick. When the topic comes up about old Met players, I can go all day for some reason. I'll admit that if the Mets were good, I'd start caring more because unlike the Yankees, they aren't full of money. Anyway the baseball draft was fun and even more entertaining than a brutal game on TV. Both teams were missing shots and turning the ball over consistently. The difference was that Cincinnati was making the most out of their opportunities when they got the ball. They got to the free throw line consistently and hit some shots down the stretch led by Sean Kilpatrick. He's a streaky shooter that can't be guarded when he gets going. Florida State had no answer with the team shooting poorly all around. The night with another upset but I wasn't too upset by it. That ended a strange day where it wasn't too bad but nothing crazy happened except funny Florida State jokes.

You know the deal.

That's the end of the first part of the experience. I'll admit that it was a bit dull in the end and I didn't go to many different places. Part Two will pick up which takes place from last Thursday to last Sunday. I'll be covering Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight with the different places that I watched it. My bracket wasn't looking too pretty after the weekend, but their was still optimism. I still had faith and still ready to go wild, which happened on more than one occasion. I'll be posting this on Monday because I got loads of tests on Friday. I'll recap of the last part which will consist of the final four and the national title game. That will be up on Tuesday which will be on my birthday. A few other things I'll note in those up and coming in small articles about my experience going to the Nets-Pacers game. I'll be sitting in Row F tomorrow so I'm excited to see an average basketball game. The reason I'm going is my good Croatian buddy is in New York and he wants to go to a game. With Knick tickets being way too expensive, we settled for the Nets. Indiana will be in the playoffs so I'm excited to see how they look. I know they dominated my beloved Heat on Monday so they must be good. Also I'll do a mini Wrestlemania review since I'll be watching. I'm not doing a full review though mainly because I got other things that I rather cover and their better sites to catch full recaps are. If you want to check out the best site, type in TheJohnReport.Net and you will be in hand. Monday I'll do the mini Wrestlemania review while it's still fresh because it's arguably the biggest Mania in a very long time. The Nets Pacers experience will be for Tuesday. I hope you enjoyed this read and below are the links, where you can reach me. 

Plugs

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Twitter: @AllenOutraged

Gmail: AStrk19@gmail.com

Old Blog: http://allen-strk.blogspot.com/

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