To respond to Jonny's march Madness post, I want to give my bracket and predictions. Sadly, I have no clue how to do a screen shot, or copy and paste my bracket and keeps its formatting; so I will have to just give you the highlights!
Upsets:
I picked:
Oregon (12) over Oklahoma St. (5)
Cincinnati (10) over Creighton (7)
Missouri (9) over Colorado St. (8)
Harvard (14) over Mew Mexico (3)
Villanova (9) over North Carolina (8)
Oklahoma (10) over San Diego St. (7)
Temple (9) over N.C. State (8)
I have Gonzaga (1) losing to a very strong Wisconsin (5) in the Sweet 16.
My Final Four is: Michigan State (3) over Ohio State (2).
and Indiana (1) over Kansas (1)
Final is Michigan State 66 - Indiana 63
Much like Jonny, I have 3 Big Ten teams in the final four. It is partly due to my MidWest pride, but it is also that the Big Ten is by far the strongest conference this year in Men's Basketball.
Go Green!
#SpartansWill
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
March Madness!
Its that time of year, folks! Where EVERYONE fills out a bracket. Here is mine, broken down by upsets.
East Bracket:
First round upsets: Temple (9) over NC State (8), Colorado (10) over Illinois (7)
Second Round upsets: UNLV (5) over Syracuse (4), Butler (6) over Marquette (3)
Sweet 16: Indiana over UNLV, Miami over Butler
Elite 8: Indiana over Miami
Final Four Team: Indiana
South Bracket:
First round upsets: None
Second Round upsets: VCU (5) over Michigan (4)
Sweet 16: VCU over Kansas, Georgetown over Florida
Elite 8: Georgetown over VCU
Final Four Team: Georgetown
West Bracket:
First round upsets: Wichita St (9) over Pittsburgh (8), Ole Miss (12) over Wisconsin (5), Iowa St (10) over Notre Dame (7)
Second Round upsets: none
Sweet 16: Kansas St over Gonzaga, Ohio State over New Mexico
Elite 8: Ohio St over Kansas St
Final Four Team: Ohio St
Midwest Bracket: (saved the best for last)
First Round upsets: Mizzou (9) over Colorado St(8), Oregon (12) over Oklahoma St (5), Cincinnati (10) over Creighton (7)
Second Round upsets: Oregon (12) over St Louis (4), Cincinnati (10 over Duke (2)
Sweet 16: Louisville over Oregon, Michigan St over Cincinnati
Elite 8: Michigan State over Louisville
Final Four Team: Michigan State
Not sure who's still with me, but to recap:
Final Four Matchups: Michigan State vs. Ohio State, Indiana vs. Georgetown
Three Big Ten teams in my Final Four. A little was gut, a little was bias. But anyway to continue:
Final Four: Michigan State over Ohio State, Georgetown over Indiana.
Championship teams: Michigan State vs Georgetown
After a 13 year drought, the Big Ten finally brings home a championship, and its thanks to our SPARTANS
2013 NCAA Champion: Michigan State Spartans
Thank you,
Goodnight.
East Bracket:
Second Round upsets: UNLV (5) over Syracuse (4), Butler (6) over Marquette (3)
Sweet 16: Indiana over UNLV, Miami over Butler
Elite 8: Indiana over Miami
Final Four Team: Indiana
South Bracket:
Second Round upsets: VCU (5) over Michigan (4)
Sweet 16: VCU over Kansas, Georgetown over Florida
Elite 8: Georgetown over VCU
Final Four Team: Georgetown
West Bracket:
Second Round upsets: none
Sweet 16: Kansas St over Gonzaga, Ohio State over New Mexico
Elite 8: Ohio St over Kansas St
Final Four Team: Ohio St
Midwest Bracket: (saved the best for last)
First Round upsets: Mizzou (9) over Colorado St(8), Oregon (12) over Oklahoma St (5), Cincinnati (10) over Creighton (7)
Second Round upsets: Oregon (12) over St Louis (4), Cincinnati (10 over Duke (2)
Sweet 16: Louisville over Oregon, Michigan St over Cincinnati
Elite 8: Michigan State over Louisville
Final Four Team: Michigan State
Not sure who's still with me, but to recap:
Final Four Matchups: Michigan State vs. Ohio State, Indiana vs. Georgetown
Three Big Ten teams in my Final Four. A little was gut, a little was bias. But anyway to continue:
Final Four: Michigan State over Ohio State, Georgetown over Indiana.
Championship teams: Michigan State vs Georgetown
After a 13 year drought, the Big Ten finally brings home a championship, and its thanks to our SPARTANS
2013 NCAA Champion: Michigan State Spartans
Thank you,
Goodnight.
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Detroit Lions Free Agent Signings, Tuesday's Timeline
Wow.
The first time that I can remember that the Detroit Lions were the team of the day. Second day of free agency, they signed all four guys they targeted. DE Jason Jones, S Glover Quin, CB Chris Houston, and RB Reggie Bush.
It started with the scare that DeAngelo Hall might have signed a deal with Detroit. But that passed and was quickly met with tweets of false reports. Whew. Close one.
Jason Hanson had made a decision to come back for his 22nd season. It won't be long before Lions brass make a decision on whether to sign him for his (most likely) last season.
Not long after 4 pm came reports that local boy Jason Jones of the Seahawks was coming to meet Lions staff at Ford Field. Also scheduling appearances by Reggie Bush and Glover Quin.
Monday came and went, Lions re-signed Amari Spivey and Kassim Osgood, which was good, but not something priority on most fans' minds. We then hear about Bush and Quin arriving in Detroit, most likely to have late dinners with Lions staff, and possibly with some current players. (Good news)
The Tuesday happened.
Matthew Stafford rolling in to help with recruiting. Two white limos pulled up, presumably one for Bush and one for Quin. Jason Jones also came in again, most likely to have physical and sign his deal.
Excitement starting to boil...
Then reports start coming of the Lions re-signing Chris Houston. Tweets coming in about how excited he was to just have a home.
Ndamukong Suh talking about restructuring his contract. All. Good. Things.
Jason Jones officially announced as signing a deal with the team.
You have to wonder, being a Lions fan, "Ok, when does the bad stuff start happening."
I read this tweet “@davebirkett: If Reggie Bush leaves the Lions without a contract, his next stop is expected to be Arizona”
DOOOOOM. Maybe an overreaction, but hey, it's what fans do.
Panic settles in. As much as I was swiping down on my iPad to refresh all day, that next hour I swiped pretty much every minute. And I'm at work. Training. Learning new things.
An hour later, Lions announce an upcoming press conference. Didn't say for who. I assumed it was for Jones. I had a horrible feeling in my stomach that Bush was leaving without a deal.
But then: “@ttwentyman: Lions and Reggie Bush have agreed to terms on a 4-year contract. Press conference set for 1:45.”
Wow. Detroit Lions signed Reggie Bush.
I'm speechless at this point. My Detroit Lions landed exactly who they targeted. At this point they were 3/4, the 4th being Glover Quin from Houston. I was saying even if we don't hand him, it's been a good day.
They landed their 4th.
Unbelievable haul for Detroit. Yes. Yes, I say. This is exactly the kind if day I've been waiting for from the Lions off-season. Can't remember an off season where a big name star has come to Detroit and didn't leave without a deal.
It was a good day for the Detroit Lions and their fans. It's great to be excited this early, but we'll have to see what happens on Sundays starting this fall.
The first time that I can remember that the Detroit Lions were the team of the day. Second day of free agency, they signed all four guys they targeted. DE Jason Jones, S Glover Quin, CB Chris Houston, and RB Reggie Bush.
It started with the scare that DeAngelo Hall might have signed a deal with Detroit. But that passed and was quickly met with tweets of false reports. Whew. Close one.
Jason Hanson had made a decision to come back for his 22nd season. It won't be long before Lions brass make a decision on whether to sign him for his (most likely) last season.
Not long after 4 pm came reports that local boy Jason Jones of the Seahawks was coming to meet Lions staff at Ford Field. Also scheduling appearances by Reggie Bush and Glover Quin.
Monday came and went, Lions re-signed Amari Spivey and Kassim Osgood, which was good, but not something priority on most fans' minds. We then hear about Bush and Quin arriving in Detroit, most likely to have late dinners with Lions staff, and possibly with some current players. (Good news)
The Tuesday happened.
Matthew Stafford rolling in to help with recruiting. Two white limos pulled up, presumably one for Bush and one for Quin. Jason Jones also came in again, most likely to have physical and sign his deal.
Excitement starting to boil...
Then reports start coming of the Lions re-signing Chris Houston. Tweets coming in about how excited he was to just have a home.
Ndamukong Suh talking about restructuring his contract. All. Good. Things.
Jason Jones officially announced as signing a deal with the team.
You have to wonder, being a Lions fan, "Ok, when does the bad stuff start happening."
I read this tweet “@davebirkett: If Reggie Bush leaves the Lions without a contract, his next stop is expected to be Arizona”
DOOOOOM. Maybe an overreaction, but hey, it's what fans do.
Panic settles in. As much as I was swiping down on my iPad to refresh all day, that next hour I swiped pretty much every minute. And I'm at work. Training. Learning new things.
An hour later, Lions announce an upcoming press conference. Didn't say for who. I assumed it was for Jones. I had a horrible feeling in my stomach that Bush was leaving without a deal.
But then: “@ttwentyman: Lions and Reggie Bush have agreed to terms on a 4-year contract. Press conference set for 1:45.”
Wow. Detroit Lions signed Reggie Bush.
I'm speechless at this point. My Detroit Lions landed exactly who they targeted. At this point they were 3/4, the 4th being Glover Quin from Houston. I was saying even if we don't hand him, it's been a good day.
They landed their 4th.
Unbelievable haul for Detroit. Yes. Yes, I say. This is exactly the kind if day I've been waiting for from the Lions off-season. Can't remember an off season where a big name star has come to Detroit and didn't leave without a deal.
It was a good day for the Detroit Lions and their fans. It's great to be excited this early, but we'll have to see what happens on Sundays starting this fall.
Monday, March 11, 2013
Defense in the NBA
First off I'd like to say a big THANK YOU to Brandon Knight for actually playing defense in the NBA. Defense is what got Detroit a Championship in 04 along with 7 straight eastern conference championship appearances in the aughts.
There is a reason I, with a long list of people, have stopped watching the NBA and really given more appreciation to NCAA hoops. All anyone wants to see are highlight dunks. Yes they're exciting. But I want to watch a GAME of basketball.
This Big Ten Season has been nothing short of great. Lived up, he'll even exceeded everyone's expectation of what was supposed to happen. This so called "decline" of the product of college basketball to me is actually good for the game. Not necessarily for a particular league, because let's face it it makes the NBA look BORING.
Offense is exciting for about 3 minutes. And those 3 minutes are best spent watching it on SportCenter's Top 10.
There is a reason I, with a long list of people, have stopped watching the NBA and really given more appreciation to NCAA hoops. All anyone wants to see are highlight dunks. Yes they're exciting. But I want to watch a GAME of basketball.
This Big Ten Season has been nothing short of great. Lived up, he'll even exceeded everyone's expectation of what was supposed to happen. This so called "decline" of the product of college basketball to me is actually good for the game. Not necessarily for a particular league, because let's face it it makes the NBA look BORING.
Offense is exciting for about 3 minutes. And those 3 minutes are best spent watching it on SportCenter's Top 10.
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Rick Porcello Trade Talk
Today Jonny and I had a Twitter conversation about possible trades between the Detroit Tigers and the Texas Rangers. All of these have centered around the rumored interest of the Rangers in Rick Porcello. You can see the exact conversation by following us on Twitter ( @FabroSports and @TekJansen )
The Tigers need a proven Closer and getting an upgrade in Short Stop would be very nice. The Rangers need a 5th Starter, they have an extra Short Stop, and extra power hitting Outfielders is always nice in Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. It seems like a very nice matchup.
We think the trade would consist of Rick Porcello, Brennan Boesch, and a Player to be Named Later and/or cash be given to the Rangers in return for Elvis Andrus and Joe Nathan.
This works out for both teams. The Rangers get a great Starter that will finally have a strong infield to protect him, and an Outfielder that can boot an upper deck home run coming off the bench. The Tigers get a proven Closer, and an upgrade in offense and defense an All-Star Short Stop. The Tigers also solve a problem of having six Starting Pitchers and holding onto an Outfielder who needs a chance of scenery. The only snag is that the Tigers now have two Short Stops.
Now we introduce the Arizona Diamondbacks; a team in desperate need for a starting Short Stop! There were plenty of rumors in the early offseason about the Diamondbacks having interest in Jhonny Peralta. He would be a huge improvement over their current options at the position. The only difficulty with this trade who would come to the Tigers? I do not see anyone the Diamondbacks would be willing to give up that the Tigers would really want. Maybe multiple prospects could work, but one never knows what Dave Dombrowski (DD) has up his sleeve.
I think the best option would be a three team trade (and DD has already pulled of a 3-way trade with Arizona in the past) between the Tigers, Rangers, and Diamondbacks. The Tigers give Porcello and Boesch to the Rangers, and Peralta to the Diamondbacks; the Diamondbacks give Someone/Something to the Rangers, and the Rangers give Andrus and Nathan and maybe Someone to the Tigers.
I have no clue is this trade or any trade will happen this year. But I do think that this trade would help all three teams in the long run.
The Tigers need a proven Closer and getting an upgrade in Short Stop would be very nice. The Rangers need a 5th Starter, they have an extra Short Stop, and extra power hitting Outfielders is always nice in Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. It seems like a very nice matchup.
We think the trade would consist of Rick Porcello, Brennan Boesch, and a Player to be Named Later and/or cash be given to the Rangers in return for Elvis Andrus and Joe Nathan.
This works out for both teams. The Rangers get a great Starter that will finally have a strong infield to protect him, and an Outfielder that can boot an upper deck home run coming off the bench. The Tigers get a proven Closer, and an upgrade in offense and defense an All-Star Short Stop. The Tigers also solve a problem of having six Starting Pitchers and holding onto an Outfielder who needs a chance of scenery. The only snag is that the Tigers now have two Short Stops.
Now we introduce the Arizona Diamondbacks; a team in desperate need for a starting Short Stop! There were plenty of rumors in the early offseason about the Diamondbacks having interest in Jhonny Peralta. He would be a huge improvement over their current options at the position. The only difficulty with this trade who would come to the Tigers? I do not see anyone the Diamondbacks would be willing to give up that the Tigers would really want. Maybe multiple prospects could work, but one never knows what Dave Dombrowski (DD) has up his sleeve.
I think the best option would be a three team trade (and DD has already pulled of a 3-way trade with Arizona in the past) between the Tigers, Rangers, and Diamondbacks. The Tigers give Porcello and Boesch to the Rangers, and Peralta to the Diamondbacks; the Diamondbacks give Someone/Something to the Rangers, and the Rangers give Andrus and Nathan and maybe Someone to the Tigers.
I have no clue is this trade or any trade will happen this year. But I do think that this trade would help all three teams in the long run.
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