Gator Country

Not the Molly Hatchet song...but the state of Florida and maybe even the entire nation.  The Gators went down to the buzzer with the Houston Cougars in one of the best ever NCAA Championship Games.  Congrats to Coach Golden and the Florida players.  What a great team effort!  The Gators trailed by as many as 14 points at one point in the game.  They believed in themselves and never gave up.

Also congratulations to Coach Sampson and his Cougars.  They are truly a fantastic team.  Their season and run through the tournament was epic.  They were a force to be reckoned with. Kudos to all.

There is something unique and special about March Madness.  The talent, the effort, the skill, the gamesmanship...it is all on display for lovers of the game to see.  I've been watching it for nearly 30 years.  For me, there is nothing else like it in sports.  Thanks to all the teams and coaches for another amazing spring of college basketball.

On Top of Their Game

Congratulations to Alex Ovechkin for his milestone achievement of surpassing Wayne Gretzky's goal scoring record.  As a Pittsburgh Penguin fan, I have both loved and hated Ovechkin over the years.  Love him as a great player, hated him for the fact that it was often one of his signature goals that beat my beloved Pens (who are not making the playoffs again).  Keep it rollin', Ovi!!!

On the hard wood, the NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four has been outstanding.  Florida has been amazing.  Auburn just didn't have enough fuel in the tank to beat them.  Duke fought Houston down to the wire in an absolutely fantastic game.  The championship game tonight ought to be one tough match.  Looking forward to it.

Steel City Sports

It's kind of a mixed bag as far as sports are concerned here in Pittsburgh.  To the surprise of many, the Steelers are having a super season.  They are currently 7 and 2 and on top of the AFC North Division.  Their schedule ahead is a rough one.  Hopefully they can ride it out and get into the playoffs.  Best of luck to the guys in black and gold.

The Pitt Panther football team has had a good go of it.  They have stumbled recently but still can right the ship for the remainder of the season.  They certainly have been fun to watch.

Panther basketball is off to a 3-0 start.  Hoping to see good things from them this year.  They seem to have the horses to get it done.  Go Pitt!

The Penguins are a whole different story.  This is a team in dire need of rebuilding.  I've been to PPG Paints Arena for a couple of games so far this season.  They looked great in each of them.  If they could keep it consistent, they might stand a chance.  They are currently 6 and 9 and near the bottom of the Metropolitan Division.  They took a 7-1 beating yesterday by the Dallas Stars.  YIKES!!!!

Well sports fans, that it for now.  Be safe out there and take care of each other.  Until next time...

National Champs

Congratulations to Dan Hurley and the UConn Huskies for their 75- 60 win over Matt Painter and his Purdue Boilermakers.  The Huskies become back to back NCAA National Champions.  It was a great game to watch.  It was literally point for point for the first half.  The UConn game plan and the incredible execution of that plan began to take its toll on Purdue in the second half.

The plan, shut down the Boilermaker players on the perimeter and make Zach Edey take the game on his shoulders.  It seemed like Purdue had no answer to what UConn was doing.  Credit to Edey; he finished the game with 37 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 blocked shots.

In this day and age it was great to see 2 great teams and 2 great coaches go out and play the game as it was meant to be played in a competitive gentlemanly manner.  It was a real treat for this old b-ball fan to watch. 

Before Madness

It has started already...the feeling...I know it is coming.  March Madness.  The time of the year that I completely let myself indulge in one of the things I enjoy most...college hoops.  The other night I watched Pitt-USF.  Pitt looked awful...can they get to the Dance??? The UNC-Duke game was awesome.  It's too bad more games aren't like that one.  I've got it in me again.  The Madness...let it come.