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11:00 am arrive at Bookie’s and secure a table – Bookie’s looks pretty good in its new spot on Cass behind the Fox. 

11:03 am order our first round of $4 domestic cans. Blue Lights, Bud Light, and Miller Light respectively.

11:10 am the first Villanova fans arrive at the official Villanova HQ bar and look around to see a bunch of early bird Spartans

11:48 am we order up a round of cheeseburgers

1:15 pm people asked us if they could have our now valuable table when we left for the game

1:30 pm after 3 or 4 beers and a solid lunch under our belts we notice that they have now started charging a cover at the door

1:53 pm Captain Morgan arrives on the scene to throw hats and shirts at the packed bar of drunken revelers

2:10 pm the first GO GREEN…GO WHITE and LET’S GO NOVA chants begin in the crowd.

2:30 pm some tool in a Fab 5 shirt walks around the bar instigating conversations. He and his tool buddy claim to be UofM students rooting for Michigan State as if it excuses their behavior.

2:45 pm good luck shots of Jamison happen…Your Welcome Coach Izzo

3:00 pm we are all pretty drunk and its still 3 hours to tip

3:15 pm some burned out old hulks try to talk us into giving them our table when we leave inspiring the original group of table wanters to come over and politic us. True to our word we promise them the table when we leave.

3:45 pm we call for the check

3:53 pm we pay the $160 check and give the young lady a nice tip. She tells us we were her best table all day, which is not hard to believe.

3:55 pm we hand over our table and exchange awkward high fives with the group of fancy t-shirt wearing semi state fans.

4:01 pm we stumble into the streets readjust to the sunlight

4:03 pm Coach Phil Martelli walks by us and Rhett and appreciates him

4:18 pm I shake hands with the Villanova mascot and tell him that I think he is one of the best in the Big East

4:25 pm all Michigan State merchandise has basically sold out everywhere so souviner shopping will have to wait.

4:40 pm Magic Johnson walks into Cheli’s Chili Bar with 7 Detroit cops

4:47 pm the Mountain Dew Vault Challenge proves that Mountain Dew is better

5:11 pm After taking a lap or two around Ford Field and soaking it all in we divide up the tickets and head inside for the games

5:20 pm I buy a program, brat, kit kat, and a Mountain Dew. 

5:38 pm I started to worry about Michigan State warming up too much and being tired for the games. Probably because I was exhausted from a day of revelry.

6:00 pm Players are introduced. The sight of the Detroit kids having their names called in front of 72,000 fans is inspirational.

6:07 pm Tip off of Game 1, and the beginning of greatness.

Continue reading »]]> Well, not to toot my own horn (that’s what she said), but I was 8 for 8 in my Sweet 16 predictions. So, by popular demand I will now share my Elite 8 predictions just in time for all my faithful readers to call their bookies (of course, you’ll only be betting potato chips as I would never condone illegal activity).

Without further ado: I like the way Mizzou is playing and I think the pressing style could negate Theebet’s effectiveness but UConn’s guards are no slouches. All that being said, I just have a hunch about this Mizzou team, I’ve liked them all season and I’ll stick with them for an upset.

The Big East is assured of at least one Final Four team due to the Nova – Pitt Elite 8 clash tonight. Blair is the kind of player that I love and Levance Fields is just a winner (and Sam Young is a great scorer). But Nova is playing some great ball right now and Nova won at home in the only match-up b/w these teams this year. I just think Pitt will get it done, Blair and Fields are going to will Pitt to the Motor D.

It is my sincere hope that Blake Griffin treats that jittering fool Hansbourgh that a red-headed step-child. It will be a good game but in the end I think Lawson is just better than Oklahoma’s goofy #20 and that will be the difference. Roy “Shucks Howdy” Williams and his insurance salesman sports-coat will once again show you don’t have to know much about hoop to coach a team with a bunch of talent to the Final Four.

Now, for MSU v Louisville. I don’t have much in-depth analysis, just a lot of nerves and anticipation. Raymar broke his nose last night, here’s hoping he can channel the spirit of Matt Trannon in the face-mask and play like a man on a mission (and share some of that sugar with Del Roe). I just have a hunch – maybe call it a hope – but I think MSU finds a way, my god please make it so.

So, in case you’re keeping track at home that’s a Final Four of MSU v. Mizzou and Pitt v. UNC.

And just for the record: Tom Izzo is going no where and I have no idea what was up with Gus Johnson last night but Tom Izzo is appreciated more in East Lansing than the Pope is in Rome (although if you only read the Detroit newspapers or watch Don Shane and that clown Smilovitz I could see how you might be confused). But make no mistake, TI will get whatever he wants in EL and is treated like a king – I firmly believe his current coaching job will be his last.

Continue reading »]]> Dear Philadelphia,

You might have noticed the big event down at the Wachovia Center over the weekend called the NCAA tournament. Its kind of a big deal in most places around the country, and not just because Villanova is involved. Its a big deal because it is one of the purest competitions left in all of american sports, and because it is one of the most dramatic. It is such a great event that we flock to it every spring at a different location. Choosing the location hasn’t been scientific, it has been based largely on being able to get tickets and drive there in a day. I guess in the future we are going to have to put a little more thought into it. This year we came to Philadelphia to drop a little coin on junk food, beer, hoops, and whatever cheap crap looked like it would be fun to take home with us. We expected to be at our best venue yet, in a top american city, where people loved the above mentioned items as much as we did. Instead we ended up in Chudsville where beer was as scarce as hot looking women and parking spaces.

Let me just say that if you are going to charge $21 in tolls just to get to your city you ought to put something there that might be worth looking at. And if you aren’t going to put anything worthwhile in your town then at least have a handful of places where people can go and get drunk so they don’t have to deal with the reality of living in such a place. I honestly don’t know how people even hook up in that town without booze. I’ve never seen so many greasy mookes and lot lizards in all my life. Harry d-bags with gold chains and dull expressions walking around a dingy burgh full of wig shops, free clinics, and tagged vacants trying to find one decent looking woman to yell obcenities at appears to be your social scene. By the way we found the one decent looking woman in Philadelphia but we are going to keep her identity secret so that she doesn’t have to deal with you mopes.

Have you guys ever heard of Jimmy John’s or Tubby’s? Both make an excellent sub (not a hoagie) both have short waits, ample parking, sanitary kitchens, reasonable prices, and people working there that don’t have Hep C and chud manners. Pat’s and Genno’s offer nothing that I want to eat ever again. Keep your gut bomb sandwiches, 45 minute lines, broken english ordering systems, and sleaze ball smoking cooks. We couldn’t even get back to the hotel before Chet was doubled over. I ordered two and ate one. That was one wit by the way whatever the hell that means. I’m not sure why you would even need a code. You should just go up there and order up a big roll of hot garbage because no matter what that is what you get. In regards to “crab fries,” putting old bay on french fries doesn’t make them seafood. 

Needless to say you have failed to impress or satisfy myself and my fellow trip members with your food, drink, or city. Your knowledge of sports was the one thing I thought you had no matter what. Once again you were given too much credit. The Wachovia is how many years old? and its already a dank hole. The sticky floor was intolerable enough but having to get up during play so another skell in a Phillies world series shirt could squeeze by after their third water ice of the game was as annoying as your accents. Just because Villanova isn’t on the court doesn’t mean basic etiquette doesn’t apply. Try and get in your seats before play resumes so you don’t disturb other fans, and while you’re at it maybe stick around for one of the other games in the session. Very few people stayed for a complete game not involving Nova and Jay Wright’s pimp suits.

We have fun where ever we go, and we had a good time on this trip but it was in spite of Philly. Your reputation for being sleazy jerks is well deserved and we aren’t coming back there unless the hurst takes a wrong turn. I think I speak for the entire trip when I say….Next time bring your sister ya hump!

Sincerely,

The Trip

Continue reading »]]> Tomorrow morning at this time I will be sitting in an airport waiting for a direct flight from suddenly sunny and beautiful Las Vegas, to Philadelphia, PA, home of our NCAA tournament site this year. This has been over a year in the making, as most trip sites are. We will unveil our site for next years trip after the final four in April.

But anyways, onto the reasons why we’ve chosen Philadelphia this year.

5. The Liberty Bell – The Liberty bell symbolizes Americans rights to look after themselves. It was created in 1751, 50 years after William Penn’s proclamation that Americans could and should govern themselves, planting the seeds of liberty and freedom from England. A little known fact (at least to me) – the Liberty Bell was removed during the revolutionary war and hidden in a church basement out side of Philadelphia when the city was occupied for fear it would be melted down by the English and fashioned into weapons.

4. Cheese Steaks – The members of the trip are particularly fond of food. In Milwaukee we did it right with crazy brauts and sausages from a few of the finer pubs and restaurants around town. This year, we will be sure to have our fair share of cheese steaks, as this is Philadelphia’s most well known food item. Giant hoagie roll, delicious grilled steak and onions and cheese sauce all wrapped up and warm and ready to eat. What else could you want? Hopefully a beer. Anyways, here’s to hoping they are as good as advertised, as I’m sure one is bound to save my life at some point this coming week. If it’s good enough for my wife’s favorite chef cooking person, it’s good enough for me.

3. Rocky – Whenever you train for something, it’s important to run up a flight of steps triumphantly as you near the end of your training in order to symbolize you’ve reached the top and it’s time to begin your fight. This comes from the Rocky movies, which are not totally near and dear to my heart because I don’t train for fights or run up steps like this all the time. Either way, I hope we can check this out. The steps Stallone runs up are the steps for Philadelphia’s Museum of Art. Museums, libraries and art houses typically have nice bathrooms, so we’ll see. May be mandatory after the cheesesteaks.

2. The Palestra – The Cathedral of College Basketball. Originally opened in 1927, the Palestra is home to Penn Quakers. It was also home to the Big 5 Basketball rivalry. The city of Philadelphia is home to five major college basketball teams who once held games at the Palestra, sometimes doubleheaders, etc. How epic would it have been to watch Villanova, LaSalle, Penn, St. Joseph’s and Temple play double headers in an intimate gym like the one above?  You can imagine the rivalries, and this is where they played. It is the home of classic old timey rivalry basketball at its finest. I hope it will be open to the public so I can breath in the what is sure to be stank old air.

1. THE TOURNEY – What else would it be? 1st and 2nd rounds, Thursday and Saturday. Four games on Thursday. Friday (off day) to check out as much as the above as possible, while still catching as many games on TV as possible. Saturday watching four teams slug it out for the shot to go to the Sweet 16. The coaches (Jay Wright, Jim Calhoun, Ben Howland), the players (Anybody on UConn’s squad, Eric Maynor, Scottie Reynolds). Everything. It’s the greatest weekend in sports, and we’ve made the commitment to be there live every year for all of it. It continues this year with the Philadelphia trip, and I’m sure it’s going to be great.

Continue reading »]]> This has been a great year of College Basketball. I can’t remember a time when there has been as much parity in the game. No clear cut two or three teams threatening to run away with everything. Last year we saw all four #1 seeds advance to the Final Four. It is certainly possible this year, however, I feel there are a pool of 8 potential serious contenders to cut down the nets in front of me in Detroit next month. (In no particular order you homers)

1. Connecticut:  Why they will –  All world big man Hasheem Thabeet will always give them a chance. A coach and program who’s been there before and knows how to get it done in March. Balanced scoring with four players averaging 13ppg. Why they won’t – One of those players is Jerome Dyson, who isn’t about to sniff a pair of sneakers for the rest of the year. Oh,  they can’t beat Pittsburgh either.

2. Pittsburgh:  Why they will - Best big man in the country hands down. DeJuan Blair is an animal who plays with fire, wants to be the best and has shown he can be against anybody in the nation. Why they won’t – Lost three road games this year, two that should have been won easily IMO, (@ Villanova, @ Providence). This shows me they are prone to overlook teams. Haven’t been there before.

3. Oklahoma: Why they will – Blake Griffin is a monster. Enough said. Why they won’t – The Sooners have stumbled as of late, with and without Blake.

4. Michigan State: Why they will – Battle tested coach who’s gotten it done before. Younger talented players have learned a lot with bad losses this season (I hope). Peaking at the right time. Why they won’t – The Spartans have been horribly inconsistent all year. No killer instinct. Young players tend to show their true colors in pressure situations.

5. Louisville: Why they will – Terrence Williams. Guy does it all, and Rick Pitino should write this guy into his will. Deep team with shooters off the bench (Jerry Smith, Andre McGee) provide a lift when often maligned Edgar Sosa wants to dribble the ball off his foot 50 times a game. Why they won’t – Any team that gets blown out by Notre Dame by 30+ points has to have something wrong with its head. That, and Pitino won’t be wearing his white suit until the Kentucky Derby.

6. North Carolina: Why they will – They play an amazing brand of basketball based solely on being faster than everybody else, and less on true talent. Roy Williams has asked God and the following day he found a quarter in his shoe. Why they won’t – Ty Lawson’s toes are falling off. The walking pelvic gyration that is Tyler Hansbrough is a hot head.

7. Memphis: Why they will – Freakishly athletic. Abnormal. They could seriously be aliens. Tyreke Evans is a beast. How do you guard this guy? He’s closer to being a power forward than a center. Calapari is a good coach, you just wonder how long he’ll be able to stay in CUSA with these bottom feeders. He’s made a mockery of the conference. Why they won’t - Haven’t played with the big boys since the start of the season. That Gonzaga win in Spokane was nice, but hardly like running through a Big East or Big Ten schedule.

8. Kansas: Why they will – Sherron Collins. Guy is lightning in a bottle. Plays fast and hard for 40 mins. Clutch (as shown several times this year). Watching him play you can tell he enjoys his roll on this team. Why they won’t – Inexperienced and young. You have to put in your dues before you gain the success. Two of these players even played last year for Kansas. Oh, Bill Self hasn’t tithed enough this year. For Shame!

See you next year: Duke, Villanova, Wake forest, and anybody from the Pac-10. You’re all garbage. Especially Duke. No true big man front court player. Everybody takes charges too often. I don’t see it happening. I love Villanova, but they just don’t have the horses to run with the guys on the list.

Continue reading »]]> Today is March 1st. The calendar officially recognizes what is laid out before us, and the basketball gods produced a buffet of basketball for all to enjoy this weekend.

Michigan State @ Illinois -  MSU locked up a piece of the Big Ten season title with a gritty tense win vs a game Illinois team full of freaks with long arms and fast guards. Shout out to Lucas showing up, Morgan getting his mind right, and young Ibok’s playing a hand-full of meaningful minutes vs Wayman Tisdale’s illegitimate 7 foot + son. Great game to watch, and I did not have to break anything against my wall and / or TV. Really want them to finish strong with games @ Indiana and home vs the train makers and they’re host of scrubs with bad backs. Gotta beat these clowns down.

Marquette @ Louisville – Johnny Whitesuits out in full force for the early game. I have enjoyed watching this Marquette team all season long. It’s sad to see them continue on with James on the bench. Some of their swagger is gone. They still hung in the game and had several chances to win it. Louisville is a good basketball team, and they have a nice home crowd. Prolly the team to take a #1 seed should any of the anointed 4 drop a late season game they shouldn’t.

Missouri @ Kansas – Joke of a game. It took all Missouri had to eeek out a win in Columbia a few weeks back. Sharron Collins is insane. No way they were going to drop this game.

Georgetown @ Villanova (Saturday) – Since when has it come down to this? Villanova is good, sure, but why is Georgetown on the outside looking in? They have superior athletes, superior size and supposedly a great coach. The Princeton offense is nice, and its a cute novelty, but it has to go. You run that crap when your team is full of 6’3″ white guys, not 7 foot big men who should be beasting in the pant dunking and drawing fouls. Scrap this crap and go to the basket. It’s just too late for this year, as they’re probably not going to get to the tourney.

Mountain West race has gotten a ton tighter. My last game was BYU @ UNLV, with the Rebels pulling off another impressive win 75-74 (game # 21). They have since lost to Utah and have no shot to win the conference regular season title. It will probably come down to New Mexico and Utah. New Mexico has the easiest schedule left, but Utah is currently 1st. Look for three NCAA bids max from the MWC with Utah and BYU locks. San Diego St. hasn’t played anybody, New Mexico hasn’t either, which should give UNLV the nod based on their non conference victories at Louisville and home vs Arizona. Of course, they will have to win their last two games (at home vs Air Force and at SDSU). UNLV always has the conference tourney in their own back yard, which helps.

Looking forward to the next couple of weeks, you should find me at the WCC tournament, which is held here in Las Vegas at the Orleans Arena. My thanks to the organizers for hooking up the evening start times, which will allow me to get out of work and get there in time. I hope Patrick Mills can get back in time to get some run, as I’d like to see him live.

I should be able to find my way to a few sessions of the MWC tourney held at the Thomas and Mack as well, pending financial situations and whether my wife will wonder where I’ve been. This is Las Vegas you know, no reason to make the ladyfriend suspect.

From there, its off to Philly on Wednesday, March 19th to enjoy the 1st and 2nd rounds of the NCAA tournament. Selection committee, take notice – if BYU is sent to Philadelphia, I will make it my personal goal to make each and every BYU fan enjoy a weekend of living hell. Do not send this curse on them, or myself.

Continue reading »]]> I was never good at many sports, but I instantly recognized the importance of competition at an early age. An avid collector of basketball cards, and a purveyor of the ’7 year old one handed jump and throw towards an impossibly tall basket’ jump shot, basketball was easily my most favorite sport. Growing up in a small city in Michigan I was naturally drawn (or forced, as pictures of me in U of M clothing represent) to the popular hometown teams. My passion found me sneaking out of bed at 11:00 at night to find the living room empty and the TV all mine. Seeing that I lived with my divorced mother, finding a basketball game on the only television in the house was impossible. The exception to this was when the world was asleep, and the Bad Boys went into battle 3 timezones away. I huddled under a blanket 3 inches away from the television, absorbing the glow of Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars and Bill Lambier as they slayed the evil Lakers from somewhere across the uncrossable country. In defeat I learned of the ‘Magic’ that Ervin Johnson displayed, his links to what would become my favorite in-state university, and the Lakers Dynasty.

Hindsight allows me to realize that my mother had to know what I was upto. It was not until Vinny Johnson hit a simple 14 foot jump shot in 1990 that my secret came to the forefront. By some stroke of fate my deeds went unpunished.

Passion cannot be forsaken.

Since those early years my love for the game has evolved to a form not recognized by many people. While I still enjoy the NBA and the Detroit Pistons, I find the purest form of the sport resides at a lower level of overall talent. It resides where the game does not cash a check or endorse a sneaker. Yes, College Basketball in many forms is as corrupt as its big brother. It has evolved into a developmental league, players often staying one or two years before they are off to bigger and better paydays in the NBA. Players like Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett and Amare Stoudamire show that kids are ready sooner, and achieve greatness at a younger age than ever before. However, the sport reaches purity found no where else when you look past the Dukes and North Carolina’s, and into the hundreds of schools at the mid to low major level.

Stephen Curry was 5 foot nothing as a Junior in high school. His jump shot can melt butter and make your own mother cry, yet he was passed up by several big time schools, always looking for the next Kevin Durrant or Greg Oden. Given a chance at a small private school in North Carolina, as a sophomore in college, Curry produced the single greatest performance I have ever witnessed live on a basketball court when he alone outscored the entire Wisconsin team in the 2nd half at Ford Field in Detroit, leading his team to an upset victory and a trip to the Elite 8. He was not supposed to and he did.

The improbable. The impossible. Shouldn’t have a shot. Not supposed to be there. Yes, the NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament always ends up righting itself in the end, producing a champion from a blue blood school with every advantage and no reason to fail. However, every now and then there is a George Mason, a Villanova, and a Davidson to remind us that there’s still a reason to play the game.

We’ll be there to tell you about it. The Trip started in 2001 with 3 friends from high school and has now settled in at 5. Many cities have been visited. The Trip has seen its highs, and its lows, but never did it cease to exist. It has spawned its own website, clothing, catch phrases, and even a future spin-off. The Trip has thrashed several hotel rooms, devoured a brackets worth of meals and consumed its share of brews. It will continue on into the future with no end in sight, and only one goal – to be there.

Shout out to Philadelphia 2009.