Sports Madness

The NCAA Championship Game was on Monday, and unfortunately, my Butler Bulldogs did not pull off the win. They had a very tough opponent in UConn, and in the end, UConn was able to break through Butler's defense and once they had a 10 point lead, Butler had no chance.

Both teams played hard, and in the beginning the defense on both teams was very strong. But Butler kept missing shots that they shouldn't. Matt Howard had an awful day, and when he has a bad day that is not good for Butler.

Congratulations to UConn, they played a great game. And congrats to Butler and coach Brad Stevens. They made it to the championship game 2 years in a row. They didn't win, but that's still impressive to get to the final game both years. I think Butler will be a contender for a long time as long as Stevens is still around.

Baseball season has begun and the Cardinals look...well, scary. They had a chance to win the home opener and our closer, Ryan Franklin, gives up a home run with 2 outs in the 9th. *Head desk* It's going to be a long season, I'm afraid.

A lot can happen, there's many more months to go. I'm going to a Cardinals-Dodgers game next week, it may be the only chance I get to see the Cards live this season. Hope they look stronger next week than they have so far. Of course, it would help to get Matt Holliday back in the lineup. Word is, he is not going to be placed on the DL. Hope he heals fast and is back on the field soon.

In Lakers news, they have been on fire since the All Star game. They have already clinched their division, so playoffs are inevitable. Can they three-peat? I think they have a solid chance. Not sure what exactly changed after the All Star game but the Lakers need to keep at it. I'm happy to see them doing well and would love to see them three-peat.

What else...I've sort of lost interest in hockey since the Blues aren't going anywhere. The NFL is still on lockdown and we have the draft coming up. That should be interesting. Not sure what's going to happen here. Teams will make their picks but won't be able to sign them until a deal is done. With this in mind, it'll be interesting to see how teams approach their picks. As it looks right now, a ruling may not happen before the draft.

One thing's for sure, the world of sports is never dull!

NCAA Madness

I have been very lax in updating this. Been quite the busy month, much to catch up on!

So the best thing about March is...the NCAA tournament of course. And this year it definitely delivered when it comes to crazy upsets, underdogs making it and screwing up everyone's brackets.

I had picked Kansas to win in my bracket. I'm not a fan of Kansas, as I'm a Mizzou fan and well, Mizzou fans are anti-Kansas. However, I felt that watching the team the season they seemed like the team to beat.

Well, they got knocked out of the tournament by VCU. Um, yeah. Who predicted that one? I'm okay with it messing up my bracket though because I am so happy to see the teams that made it to the final 4 duke it out.

My favorite? Butler. Coach Brad Stevens went to my alma mater, DePauw University. So I am thrilled to see his team doing so well. I hope they win the whole thing. I think they have a real shot. If there's one thing this team had proven, it's that they do not give up. At DePauw we have a saying. It goes like this: DePauw never quits. Perhaps that bit of wisdom has been passed from Coach Stevens to his team.

Also in basketball news, Matt Painter turned down the Mizzou job offer and is staying at Purdue. I hope I'm not the only one surprised by this. I just couldn't see him leaving Purdue. So, the search continues for a new coach for Mizzou. Did see some mumblings on stltoday.com's message boards about Brad Stevens. Ha. He's not leaving Butler any time soon, I can guarantee you that!

In other big news, tomorrow is THE day. Opening day, that is. Baseball is finally here and ready to go. I'm nervous about the Cardinals season but am optimistic. The great thing right now is that everyone starts at 0. And there's a long season of baseball. You never know who will step up as a hero or what casualties you might endure. Playing this season without Adam Wainwright is going to be super tough for the redbirds. But, the Cardinals have one of the best pitching coaches with Duncan and Kyle McClellan has looked sharp in spring training as a starter so we'll see how that goes.

Either way, I'm excited for baseball season to begin. It's just one of the best sports there is, and there's nothing like going to a baseball game. I will be watching my Cards take on the Dodgers in a couple weeks as the Cards head to LA early this season. Might be the last time I see Pujols in a Cards uniform (I hope not).

Speaking of Albert, check out this awesome site if you want to keep Albert as a Cardinals: http://www.stlwantspujols.com/. May not make a difference in Albert's ultimate decision, but it can't hurt!