You Down With MVC?!

Well we're a little more than a month away from the NCAA Tourney. If you don't know what sport this tourney is for, kindly step away from my blog now. Now sure, the Super Bowl is closer, being but days away, but the Pats are out and I don't really follow the hype going in to the big game. Granted, a lot of people seem too be disinterested in this year's matchup, but, well I digress, that's another blog for another day (probably Friday). The Super Bowl will just be another lazy sunday. So I am now in college basketball mode.

I've been reading articles, checking records and stats, filling my head with all sorts of college hoops knowledge that can only hinder me in making my picks after selection Sunday. I hardly feel knowing Blake Ahearn's free throw percentages will help me out come March, but I like that I know. Ahh Blake Ahearn the top free-throw shooter in D-I college hoops last year. That's right folks! The TOP free throw shooter, even better than America's favorite beat poet! Blake Ahearn is not a recognizable name to a majority of college basketball fans, but in the Missiourri Valley Conference he is one of the marquee names.

Now I know I am in no way the first, nor hopefully, the last person to jump on the MVC bandwagon. It has received quite a bit of notoriety over the past few seasons, due, most notably, to the Creighton Blue Jays and the Southern Illinois Salukis. The Salukis rode their glass slipper to the 2002 Sweet 16 right here in Syracuse and you may remember Kyle Korver leading the Blue Jays to a 2002 first round upset of a ranked Florida Gators team. Korver is in the NBA now while Nate Funk (injured for most of the season) filling his shoes as the name every college hoops guru knows from the MVC. "The Valley" is the number six conference in the rpi, number three in the wmpr (willie moe power rankings). Northern Iowa is #25 in the AP Poll (before tonight's loss to the Blue Jays) and the conference could get four teams into the tourney. So if you ain't familiar with the MVC, you will be.

But enough of the numbers and stats. I want to be there, in the thick of all that great "Valley" action. The Qwest Center in Omaha looks gorgeous and the other schools are slowly coming along with state of the art venues themselves. So I am making it my mission to get out there for some high scoring mid-major, midwest action. The passion, the heart, it's all pure gold! So who's comin' with me?

God bless the Valley, and god bless college basketball!

Ranking Blowhards

The other day I just happened upon Dr. Z's rankings of the NFL announcing teams. I gotta say I was pretty much in agreement right down the line. Especially with his grading of ESPN's Sunday night team.

Paul Maguire of course was one-third of the most useless announcing teams around. The good doctor did however leave off one of my favorites. They are a bit below the radar, but I thought they deserved there props.

This Blog Sucks??!!

It's been quite awhile since my last blog and there are a lot of things I need to get off my chest. So I will briefly and erratically touch on many things in this blog, so try and keep up. Now since my last blog I have been drinking, toasted, bojanglin, and on more than one occassion no one has cared what I thought. On that note, for the first time ever on Bitterness is a Fish You Can Catch, I'm opening up the old mailbag:

William Herbert from Rochester, NY asks:
We all know that you are a die hard New England Patriots fan, and also that you have a tendency to lash out in fits of bitter rage, so did "Bitter Willie" make an appearance as the Denver Broncos ended the Patriots' current reign?

Excellent question William. "Bitter Willie" has actaully been on hiatus and has made very few appearences over the past few months. Something that, I know, comes as a major disappointment to my many readers (at least five in number). But allow me to touch on that fateful Saturday night. I watched the game with my chums, Toastie and Kyle. I was just getting drunk and having a grand old time. Now while I was dismayed and the demise of the Patriots, I was not THAT upset. I mean the Patriots have won three of the past Super Bowls, and that's not too shabby. It was, however, disappoining how they pretty much handed that game to the Broncos, basically on a silver platter. The Broncos, did not outplay them and that is still frustrating no matter how many times they've won before. But it was hard to cheer against that sweet, sweet beard of Jake Plummer.

Pete R. asks:
Who do you like in Super Bowl XL so I can bet against them?

Now, I thought once the Kitna era was ushered out in Seattle, it would be the beginning of the end for the Seahawks organization. But alas they were able to turn it around. So mark my words, the Seattle Seahawks will win Super Bowl XL by a score of 34-24.

George Micheal B. asks:
Why are quality programs like Arrested Development and the Office always in jeopardy of being cancelled, while crap like That 70s Shows, Skating With Celebrities or Stacked remain on the air.

Ah, I'm glad you asked George Micheal. You see people are stupid, that's the bottom line. You see the people who think these shows aren't good and want them off the air should be scalded by a Cornballer!


Tim C. from Oregon writes:
Your blog sucks.

Thanks Tim, always great to meet a fan.

Javen B. of Schenectady has a two-part question:
Who will win the MAAC and Why are you so bitter?

Thanks for the question Jav, they're both real head scratchers. Iona looks strong right now, but Manhattan is a MAAC powerhouse. I think Loyola is an outside possibility, although they barely held on against Rider yesterday. Look for the Gaels to take the regular season title, but the MAAC tourney is where they separate the men for the boys, look for the upset special from the Golden Griffins of Canisius. As for the bitterness thing, well I just don't know.

Well I think that's about all from the mailbag for one day.