Testing Tanner's Emotions

Ray Tanner didn't have to talk today. He could have simply issued the standard issue statement saying he was disappointed and he'd let the legal process run its course. Instead he talked and he spoke from the heart just a day after kicking Nick Fuller and Lonnie Chisenhall off of his USC baseball team. The allegations are serious: grand larceny and burglary. Allegedly stealing over $3,000 from an assistant coach's locker, smashing a window on campus and taking laptops, and breaking into a dorm room. At one point in his meeting with reporters Tanner had to excuse himself, the emotions were just too much. The cynics will say he's sad to see his team lose two talented players, but that's not Ray Tanner. He's always stood up to face the music, although usually it's about a tough loss in Omaha or an early exit from NCAA Regionals. What seemed to hurt Tanner most is the betrayal by these players who are supposed to be part of the USC baseball family. Not only did they allegedly steal from the school, but according to police they stole from that family. Tanner had no choice to kick the two off the team - he made the right choice standing up and talking about it.

See Tanner on Tuesday at http://www.abcnews4.com/news/stories/0307/407191.html

It Was Fun While It Lasted

4:53 pm Friday and my brackets are busted. Obviously, Long Beach State wasn't such a great pick. Neither was Notre Dame....or George Washington...or Albany. Upsets are fun to pick, just not fun to lose. For the record here's my Final Four: Florida, Pittsburgh, Georgetown, and Ohio State. I've got Florida beating the Buckeyes in the title game.
If you have time and are ready for a good read check out the running blog by ESPN.com Page 2 writer Bill Simmons....laugh out loud funny.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/NCAA/daytwo&sportCat=ncb

A Week When the Work Stops

But what if it's your job to keep track of the sports world? Yes, life is good in tv sports guy land this week. Please don't think for a second that I really have any more idea who will win the NCAA Tournament than anybody else. That being said; a quick look at the brackets here on a Monday afternoon. I reserve the right to change my mind as the week goes on.

Do you think Charlotte would go nuts for a Davidson vs Winthrop Sweet 16 matchup? Probably not. The Wildcats are the 13th seed taking on Maryland in Buffalo Friday and if you saw them play here in the SoCon Tournament you're probably a believer. The only question I have is whether a team led by a freshman shooter can pull the upset on the Terrapins. As for Winthrop I wonder if they fall victim to being the popular upset pick. They were great as the team that nobody knew about, but now there is a real belief that they can beat anybody. They were 1 second away from beating the 2nd seeded Tennessee Volunteers in last year's tourney so the 11th seed this year is a big step up. I think they'll get beat by Notre Dame in the first round.

I like Louisville playing the first two games close to home in Lexington....I like Long Beach State, if only because they are fun to watch. I admit I only watched them Saturday night for ten minutes.......I hope Texas goes a long way so we can see more of Kevin Durant, I voted for him last week for the Wooden Award....So USC gets a rematch with Arkansas in the first round, huh? Man, the Gamecocks better keep it under 30....what do you mean that's the other USC?....that's it for now. Still putting my brackets in pencil. And starting my NIT pool.

Final Word on the SoCon Tourney

Surely having over 8,000 people in the Coliseum on Saturday showed the Southern Conference that they need to keep the tournament here. Here's the deal, sometime in the next few weeks the conference will announce its home for the next 3 years. Chattanooga and Charleston are the only 2 cities to submit a bid. They are the only two cities to host the tournament the last 5 years. I'm not just being a homer when I say the tournament needs to pick a permanent home and it needs to be in North Charleston. The truth is it doesn't matter where this tournament is held, the only way it will thrive is when a local school makes it to the finals. The College of Charleston finally made that happen. The Southern Conference is too small and still plays in the shadow of the ACC and SEC so it's not like they're going to get too many casual basketball fans to come to a game between Elon and Wofford on a Friday afternoon. The ACC this is not, but when crowds like Friday and Saturday night come together it sure feels like March Madness.

Thoughts On the SoCon: Day 2

What a difference a day makes. The atmosphere Wednesday at the Coliseum was pretty blah....Thursday was a good day for basketball fans. It makes sense that the best teams will bring the most fans and today the teams that had byes took the court. Davidson and App State still look like the best two teams in this tournament, but the way the College of Charleston played in the 2nd half of the win against Ga Southern who knows what the Cougs are capable of. It's strange that most people wouldn't have been surprised if the College lost to the Eagles or went on to win the whole thing. They are that kind of team. We'll find out Friday if they got the Coliseum monkey off their back. They had been just 4-4 in tournament games in North Charleston. Then again, Appalachian State swept the CofC in the regular season. What a difference a day makes.