Potential Second Round ShowdownsIf you look down the Division 1 bracket, you’ll see the probability of a heavyweight second round matchup pitting undefeated Dallas Skyline and state ranked DeSoto. The knock on Skyline, and rightfully so, is that they haven’t been challenge yet. Over their final six games they surrendered double digit points just once and scored over 60 points in three of those games. The BCS computers would sure love that. DeSoto on the other hand has been tested. They’ve faced tough matchups in and out of district. Cedar Hill, Flower Mound, Plano and Duncanville were all on their non-district schedule, all are playoff bound. In Division 2, another very high profile matchup looms as a distinct possibility: Southlake Carroll vs. Allen. Both teams are perennial powerhouses and playing as well as anyone in the state right now. I’d be interested to see how the Dragon defense would handle Allen quarterback Matt Brown’s ability to not only throw the ball, but run it as well. 

Predictions:

Coppell 35, Keller 21

Euless Trinity 38, Flower Mound 17

Grapevine 24, Flower Mound Marcus 42

Southlake Carroll 31, Colleyville Heritage 10

                Tired of 106.1 Kiss FM playing the same 10 songs over and over all day long? Don’t have a transmitter to jam out to music on your iPod? Tune into 1310 The Ticket radio station.

                It’s sports talk, yeah, but it’s not just sports talk. The guys on the station are just average Joe’s who chitchat about wide variety of topics including, local news, national stories and more, plus whatever else that pops into their head. It’s a very comedic station; the guys joke around with each other and pull pranks on one another.

                I will admit you won’t get it some of the stuff they say or the drops they play (rhyme) until you listen for a week or so, you sort of have to get used to it, but when you do it’s awesome.

                The station consists of six shows during the week:

                The Musers from 5:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. – Features George Dunham, father of former Coppell student Blake Dunham, Craig Miller, as well as Gordon Keith.This radio cast has won multiple awards for being the best sports talk show by the Dallas Morning News, Fort Worth Star Telegram and Dallas Observer.  George, Craig and Gordo have also been named Dallas – Fort Worth Radio Personalities of the Year three times by DFW chapter of the American Women in Radio & Television. As you can see, they have plenty of accolades. One of its best segments is every Friday at 7:50 a.m. where the guys take the three worst broadcasting moments of the week, an off-hand comment or technical mishap, and let the listeners vote on which one was the best (basically celebrating bad broadcasting). Obviously you will listen to this on your way to school in the morning, if you decide to tune in. Of the six shows, it’s probably my second favorite.

                Norm Hitzges from 10 a.m. to 12 noon – Norm is, well, somewhat passionate about sports. When he makes his point, he gets into it, he will argue with callers’ big time. He is picked on the most by the rest of station. I don’t really ever listen to his show, mainly because of school, that said, it’s fifth in the ranks.

                BaD Radio from 12 noon to 3 p.m. – Hosted by Bob Sturm, with Dan McDowell and Donovan Lewis. I wish I was able to listen to this show more, these guys are very good and they have great chemistry. For me, it comes in a close 3^rd on the radio show standings do in large part to the fact that I just aren’t able to tune in enough because of school. Some of their most popular segments are: ‘Gay/Not Gay’- Tuesday’s @ 12:50 and ‘Why today doesn’t suck’- daily @ 3:15 (they stay on with The Hardline until about 3:30ish).

                The Hardline from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. – Mike Ryner, or Rynes, hosts the evening Ticket show, his companion is Corby Davidson, one of the funniest dudes have ever heard. He is also referred to as, ‘Snake,’ or ‘Cobra,’ he has assumed the title ‘Dallas radios most abrasive, polarizing, over-the-top personality.’ Corby is recognized nationally for his atypical questioning habits during press conferences and Shaquille O’Neal has grown fund of Corby, while hating most media members, the two have met several times. Danny Balis, the show’s producer, is a big part of their show also, he chimes in quite a bit and is pretty comical himself. Their best segment is Entertainment News at 4:30, Community Quick Hits at 6:15ish is not too shabby. My favorite show, by far.

                Ticket Top 10 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. – Hosted by Chris House, just a rundown of the best segments of the day from 10 to one. I use this to catch up on the stuff I missed during school or for some other reason. This is a show but not rated because it includes all the show’s best, so of course it’s good.

                The Dan Patrick Show from 9 p.m. to 12 a.m. – The host? Dan Patrick of course, formerly an ESPN sportscaster, a very well-known man in sports media around the country. I always thought Dan’s voice was pretty dull and boring; however it has grown on me little by little. I’ll be honest, I don’t tune in when this show is on, partly because I’m not often in my car at 10:30 on week nights and partly because I won’t go out of my way to listen to him.

               That’s right. The complete NFL schedule was released a couple weeks back for the 2009 season. The Dallas Cowboys have six nationally televised games this year. Predicting wins and losses in the NFL is no easy task especially when you don’t know the complete makeup of the team, that’s what I’m going to attempt to do, game by game.

                Week 1 - at Tampa Bay: The Buccaneers got rid of a lot of their old, veteran players in the offseason. They recently signed Byron Leftwich to a two-year deal, a bit of a learning curve will be in place for him to learn the system, if he is the starter. It looks like Tampa is in a rebuilding year, which doesn’t equate too many wins. Cowboys get the win and start 1-0.

                Week 2 – vs. New York (Giants): The first game with Jerry Jones’ new state-of-the-art stadium and those ridiculous personal seat licenses. The atmosphere should be electric given the grand opening and the fact that it’s Giants. Both squads will be competing in the playoff race late in season, this early test for should be fun. Because its home, with the added emotion of the cutting edge gridiron, I’ll say Cowboys, 2-0.

                Week 3 – vs. Carolina: The Panthers will be playing with a little chip on their shoulder after the way they went out last year, getting run off the field by Arizona in the playoffs. This will be a big game to show the rest of the country they belong among the elite. I think Carolina has a chance to be very good this year, maybe Super Bowl good. Panthers win; cows fall to 2-1.

                Week 4 – at Denver: The Broncos offense may only skip a small beat by trading Jay Cutler, I don’t think Kyle Orton is as bad as people say he is, he won some games for the Bears last season. That said, Denver’s defense is awful and isn’t getting better over night, which I think will be their undoing in this game and many others for them this year. Cowboys win; improve to 3-1.

                Week 5 – at Kansas City: Matt Cassel is going to help this team become a contender again, just not this year. They have a lot of good young players but I still think they are a year or two away from being in the race. Cowboys win, 4-1.

                Week 7 – vs. Atlanta: The Falcons were one of the surprise teams of last year is looking to improve their one and done playoff appearance from last year. The emergence of quarterback Matt Ryan jumpstarted the magical season, then everything else just fell into place. Michael Turner is a stud at running back, possibly the number one pick in fantasy; he will help out Ryan a lot. However, I think they will take a step back this year, Cowboys will a close one, 5-1.

                Week 8 – vs. Seattle: I have to be honest; I don’t see this game being close. Unless the Seahawks draft Michael Crabtree, they might have a punchers chance offensively but still no. The Boys’ win, 6-1.

                Week 9 – at Philadelphia: Flashbacks of 44-6 keep popping into my head when I look at this game. That memory will live in infamy to Cowboy’s fans, in a game that had so much on the line and to produce so little is just disheartening to say the least. I’d to see a little bit of revenge exacted in this game but I like the home team. Eagles win, cows now 6-2.

                Week 10 – at Green Bay: It still baffles me how the Packers weren’t better than they were last season, some weeks they showed up and beat the Colts then on other weeks they would got demolished by the Saints. I don’t know if Green Bay is the favorite in that division but they certainly in the conversation with Minnesota and Chicago. Hopefully it won’t be snowing just yet at Lambeau Field just yet, Cowboys win, 7-2.

                Week 11 – vs. Washington: Albert Haynesworth was a big acquisition for the Redskins in the offseason but he isn’t worth the cool $100 million he was given. It’ll be interesting to see how the Cowboys offensive will handle him, in combination with the rest of the Redskins’ blitz happy defense. In the new Texas Stadium’s first ever Dallas-Washington I’ll take the blue stars, but don’t be surprised if the Skins’ spoil the party as this rivalry is predictably unpredictable. (8-2)

                Week 12 – vs. Oakland: When I look at the Raiders, I see them in the same light as the Chiefs, young and talent, but they still needs some development. Unless Oakland gets some like Jeremy Maclin in the draft, they don’t have real deep threat to challenge Dallas’s vulnerable secondary. Cowboys win, relatively big. 9-2, not bad for a media circus huh?

                 Week 13 – at New York (Giants): As I said in week two, both teams will be right up there for the division title. The G-men will need this game to offset their loss early in the year, if they are to lose that game, to make the tiebreaker even. Giants take this one, 9-3.

                Week 14 – vs. San Diego: Tough game. The Chargers will be close to locking up AFC West at this time, but certainly won’t be sitting their starters. If I making up a defensive game plan I would advise the coverage to drop and force Phillip Rivers into some bad choices rather trying to keep LaDainian Tomlinson in check. I really could do either way, a lot will depend on how the teams are playing at that time, but for now I’ll give the advantage to the home team, 10-3.

                Week 15 – at New Orleans: This is the kind of team the Cowboys fear, a stud quarterback and a multitude of weapons with a sufficient running game and their on the road. But man, the Saints just have no defense, it’s just awful and I think the Boys’ will be able to score with them and play enough defense, they win, 11-3

                  Week 16 – at Washington: I don’t know where the Redskins will be in the standings at this time of the year, but that never seems to bother them, especially against their arch rivals who are in the thick of the race for a number one seed. They’d love to poop on our party, and I think they will, 11-4.

                Week 17 – vs. Philadelphia: No resting anyone for this game, no matter how far ahead in the standings we are. This game is about heart, you got your lunch devoured by Philly at the end of last season and (if I predict right) you lost to them earlier this season, you’ve got to want it just as a thing of pride. I think, hope and desire for them too. (12-4)

                That kind of a season could save Wade Phillip’s job. That kind of season will get us at least a two seed in the playoffs. That kind of season will put the release of Terrell Owens out of Cowboy’s fan’s minds for good. But can that kind of season be called a success? Well, you’re going to have to wait till the playoffs for that.

So, my bracket is busted.

I picked none of the final four teams and have no shot at winning the lump sum of 25 dollars from my pool.

Some would say, ‘haha this guy knows nothing’ but that’s not necessarily the case since last year I won a pool but I don’t want to be brag-a-docious. I am certainly not your “expert analyst” that ESPN can provide who break down hours and hours who game tape. I do a little research here and there and formulate what I think I pretty decent bracket.

This year I made two bold predictions, make or break predictions (they eventually broke). I chose Purdue over Connecticut and Gonzaga over North Carolina. Neither team put up a huge fight; Purdue kept in close until late in the game.

When I look back on this “bracket season” I think about how easy it was to pick this year. Most of the upsets were predictable with the exception of maybe Cleveland State; some experts had Wake Forest in the Final Four, try that bracket busting. Arizona, Western Kentucky, and Wisconsin all were relatively simple upset selections, though I did not pick all of those. The 8-9 games are always toss-ups and not many consider those upsets anyway.

In the second round there was only one lower seed defeating a higher seeded and it was no. 5 Purdue over no. 4 Washington.

The general feeling the round of 16 was that Villanova and Duke would play and the lower seeded ‘Nova would get by them, and they did. Missouri over Memphis was a little surprising but with the way Mizzou is playing coming into the tournament you can see why they would.

Games in the elite eight again weren’t shocking, though when you get down this late in the tournament the teams are very comparable, Michigan State over Louisville turned some heads but nothing exasperating. The battle of Big East foes went close wire to wire, as most games in that conference have gone, but in the end someone had to win. No one went into that contest saying Villanova has no chance. Otherwise everything held serve. For what it’s worth, I like Villanova and Connecticut to reach the championship game, then the Huskies to cut down the nets.

It almost makes me a little frustrated that I didn’t select better this year because of how almost elementary it was to pick these games. One thing I did that I shouldn’t have was put off my bracket filling out, the Monday following Selection Sunday I penciled in my winners and just left the bracket in my room. Thursday morning, at about 10:45, comes around and I’m trying to make sure everything is right, making some irrational changes under duress when I should have done the night before when I was level-headed.

Next year, I will do better.

Oh and while I’ve got you reading this far, how about Tiger Woods huh? He sinks the birdie putt on 18 to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational; the fist pump is back baby!  

So on Sunday afternoon I, along with my brother and step dad-to be, were sitting at Z’s bar & grill in Flower Mound watching the second round of the NCAA tournament.

During that time, about 3:45, three games were playing and the Z’s had them all on three different televisions. The Kansas-Dayton contest was on the biggest screen with the sound. Three guys (adults) sitting in front of us wearing Kansas t-shirts, watching the games. The Jayhawks are up some 20 points with a few minutes to go and these dudes are complaining about fouls and cheering loudly on every made Kansas basket. I’m thinking, really? I’m all for being a big time fan and routing for your team and occasionally yelling at the TV but in a 20 point blowout? (This was about the time Cole Aldrich was getting his 10^th block and nabbing a triple double) It sort of peeved me off, but it speaks to what Jayhawk nation is about, they think they are so much better than everyone else and no one even compares. Whatever, they’re probably calling each other up right now to talk about how many free throws Kansas made.

I did, however, take something away from that visit to Z’s bar & grill, I saw numerous people wearing different school shirts in support of their team. Even a Siena fan walked through the door. It got me thinking, that’s what college basketball is all about, no matter if you’re into sports or not, the NCAA tournament brings out the fans from everywhere.

Neither of those two things have any relevance to what I’m about to talk about, I just thought I’d share with you a little bit of my spring break.

                Last year’s tournament was all about Stephen Curry and the Cinderella story that was, these year it’s the opposite almost all the favorites are in the Sweet 16, which I think sets up for some very intriguing matchups. We’ve already got some good ones on tap this week, here’s my take (all picks reflect the winners I choose in my personal bracket):

                This is the problem I have with this year’s bracket, Arizona. Who thinks Arizona is a Cinderella? Most people expected them to take down Utah and they were fortunate that Cleveland State waxed Wake Forest or else they might be sitting at home right now. If this were Creighton taking on Louisville, we would be talking about shades of George Mason.

                As for the matchup, Arizona can definitely hang with the Cardinals. They, like Louisville, have future NBA ballers on their squad who won’t be intimidated by the #1 overall seed that the Cardinals are currently carrying around. Point guard Nic Wise needs to continue this tear he is on and penetrate into the lane then kick to Chase Budinger for the trey. The problem the Wildcats have is they don’t play exceptional defense, this game may turn into a track meet.

                Pick: The matchup I had in my bracket (bracket of integrity) was, like so many others, Louisville versus Wake Forest and in that game I had Louisville advancing. I give Arizona as good a shot as anyone to knock of the Cardinals, but I think Louisville pulls it out.

                The matchup I’m looking forward to watching in this game is Michigan State’s Goran Suton against Kansas’ Cole Aldrich in the post. Suton did struggle mightily in the second round game with USC though he grabbed 10 rebounds, and Aldrich is coming off huge triple double performance in the win over Dayton in which he accounted for 10 blocks.

                The Jayhawks are young but growing steadily, they’ve gotten noticeably better since these two team met back in early January and will be looking to exact a little pay back. It’ll be interesting to see which Kansas team shows up, the one that loss to Texas Tech or the one who blew out Missouri, I suspect they’ll be ready. The key for the Spartans is can they contain Sherron Collins; he’s Kansas’ catalyst on offense.

                Pick: I’m taking the lower seeded team in this one. Kansas is better offensively and I think they will be able to score on Michigan State’s defense and not let this contest become a grinder.

                UNC’sTyler Hansburgh and Gonzaga’s Josh Heytvelt met in 2006 in the preseason NIT in a game in which Heyvelt dominated Hansburgh and the Bulldogs upset the Tar Heels. Now both are seniors and ready to advance to elite eight of this year’s NCAAs.

                Some (probably mostly UNC fans) would say paperback is hell. I (fan of the Duke Blue Devils and a man in need of some bracket resurgence) would say if you can do it once, do it again. Gonzaga has one it’s most talented teams ever led by Jeremy Pargo. They beat the Akron Zips in the first round and needed some late game heroics to knock out Cinderella-minded Western Kentucky to get to the round of 16.

Injured North Carolina point guard Ty Lawson will play with pain in his toe during the game, he will have to make plays to them to win. The goal for them early, I suspect, will be to test Heytvelt inside and see if they can’t get him in foul trouble. This game figures to be a track meet as neither team defends particularly well.

Pick: I have picked Gonzaga in my bracket (bracket of integrity) and I’m going to stand by that selection here. I will be watching with extreme intense when these team go at it because I am need dire need of this upset in my bracket pool.

Bottom line in this game for the Sooners is they have to make shots. Syracuse is going to play that 2-3 zone force them to take jumpers. Willie Warren, Tony Crocker and Austin Johnson to need to be ‘ready to shoot jack’ if Oklahoma wants to come out on top.

 Syracuse point guard Johnny Flynn has his team its best ball of the season. The zone I think will bother the Sooners a little bit especially early in the game, the Flynn vs. Warren matchup of point guard should be intriguing.

Pick: I took Oklahoma but I don’t feel too sure about it. It’ll come down to can the Sooners make shots, and I presume they will connect on enough to win.

March is here. The madness is always electric on selection Sunday when the teams are announced and brackets are formed. It’s the best sports event of the year.

                America’s game gets quite a bit of hype and never disappoints in February, because even if the game is awful, the commercials make up for it. But the Super Bowl only amasses one evening. How about the college football bowl season? I guess you can make the argument but when you allow 6-6 teams to play in the postseason, all creditability is lost. And the BCS; don’t even get me started on the BCS. October features the World Series, baseball’s postseason finale, but three and half hours of “and he grounds out to end in the inning” doesn’t bring the excitement to fans like March.

                It’s the one time of year where women can attempt to prove their superior basketball knowledge on the men in a work tournament pool. It’s where that one creepy guy who never says a word can speak through his bracket.  It’s an opportunity for fans of North Dakota State to see their school up against the likes of Duke, Michigan State or Memphis, powerhouses the world of men’s college basketball.

                This 65-team tournament is where average players become good players, where good players become stars and where stars turn into superstars. Careers are built in March. The madness headlines the most outstanding two days of basketball you’ll ever watch, the Thursday and Friday of Spring break. This is where the tournament makes its name, when 13 seed Vermont upends four seed Syracuse, 14 seed Bucknell takes down Kansas and 15 seed Santa Clara takes down two seed Arizona in 1993.

                Amazing stories are written in this month, players lives are altered in many ways. Exhibit A would be college basketball’s darling, Davidson guard - baby face Stephen Curry. He was a relative nobody going into the NCAAs last year, despite being one of the nation’s leading scorers and came out a possible lottery pick in the NBA draft. I’ll admit I knew he and Davidson had all the makings to be a Cinderella, I picked them to beat Gonzaga in their first round game  but I never thought they would get by number two seed Georgetown who had superior strength and size.

                History tells us that this showcase, unlike any other, can ensue the most unpredictable of outcomes. This is the kind of uncertainty that makes this event the best sports event of the year, by far.  

                A season that once had so much promise now comes down to just one game. Four 12 minute quarters will decide whether the Coppell Cowboys can make it to the state playoffs.

                Last week, Coppell (6-3 overall, 2-2 in district 6-5A) went over to Lewisville to take on the hapless Farmers and escaped out of there with a 24-19 victory. The Cowboys have not looked the same since their sensational overtime win over Southlake Carroll, averaging just over 22 points per game over their last three games (1-2), which is down about 23 points from their season average going into those games, when they went 5-1.

                The Cowboys will take on Flower Mound this Friday at Buddy Echols Field to decide which team gets a trip to state.

                The Jaguars (6-3 overall, 1-3) came up short in their battle of the mound showdown rivalry game against Flower Mound Marcus 28-21 in overtime. Flower Mound played a weak non-district schedule and their district has record has reflected that with only one win against 2-7 Lewisville. Quarterback Brandon Colquitt rushed 19 times for 43 yards in their lost to Marcus last week; including converting on some key third downs with his feet, and though he doesn’t typically escape the pocket, Coppell will certain have to be looking out for him.

                The Jaguars have been competitive in every game this season; their worst loss was 14-38 to Southlake Carroll. With all the talk about how Flower Mound will out score you with offense, the defense was done fairly well this year only allowing 17 points per game.

                That said this game should be relatively high scoring with plenty of big plays. It’s as simple as this, you win – you’re in. The atmosphere at Buddy Echols Field on Friday night should be electric; much like it was when Coppell took on Southlake.

                My prediction: Coppell 35, Flower Mound 24

                Previewing the other district 6-5A games:

                Battle of the two top teams in the district, should be a grind it out run the ball/defensive game with not much passing. The Hawks run all over South Carroll last week, Marcus captured its rivalry game against Flower Mound.

                My prediction: Hebron 27, Marcus 17

                Though Lewisville put up a stingy upset bid at home last week vs. Coppell, they must now go on the road to a, dare I say, once dominate Southlake Carroll team. The Dragons will be looking to take their season’s frustrations out on a lesser opponent, and they will.

                My prediction: Southlake 49, Lewisville 13

A win last Friday night against Hebron would, could, and in all likely hood should, have put the Coppell Cowboys firmly in the driver’s seat to win district 6-5A.

Instead, they are left feeling sorry for themselves as they drop to middle of the pack and a tough matchup this week. It’s unfortunate, really.

Coppell (5-2, 1-1) had an excellent, couldn’t have been better, opportunity to make a big statement in the north Texas high school football world, they had already knocked off the overwhelming favorite to win the district, rival Southlake Carroll, and were playing a winnable game against the Hebron Hawks (4-3, 2-0) but just could not get anything going offensively.

The Cowboys now face a critical home game versus Flower Mound Marcus.

The Marauders (3-4, 1-1) played Southlake down to the wire last week but came up a touchdown short. Marcus will certainly be hungry to get back out there and erase that close loss with a win.

This game is do or die. If Coppell is going to reach the postseason they must have this game.

The Cowboys dug themselves a hole with that loss to Hebron and will most definitely need help from other teams in order to make the playoffs; however, their number one obligation is to take care of their own business first.

A loss all but eliminates the Boys’ from any real shot at a postseason berth and diminishes that unforgettable victory of Southlake Carroll.