Tiger Really Is Amazing

It needs to be said so to get it out of the way, Arizona lost tonight to West Virginia in the opening round. My only commentary that I would like to give is that the Mountaineers made nearly every 3-pointer they attempted. In college basketball that is pretty impossible to stop defensively. So no elite 8, no national championship. The only thing to worry about now is if Bayless is going to go to the NBA, and how we'll be next year. One of the top point guards in the nation, Brandon Jennings, signed with the school so we should be good. Especially giving Jordan Hill the off-season to be even more dominant in the paint. So it's a shame but it needed to be said.

My dad sent me an email about a Tiger Woods commercial where he surprises groups on a course and if they can beat him in a closest to the pin challenge, they win a new Buick Rainier. That made me think of a commercial that Nike did a while back that was just awesome. I hope you enjoy it. This could be the year where Tiger wins every major tournament. The Master's is next on the agenda.

Best Commercial On Television

Staples' "Easy Button" campaign has had some ups and downs. I don't know the last time that you have been to a store, but they actually sell the easy buttons. Pretty hilarious. But they have made great strides lately with the commercial I believe to be one of the funniest out there right now. You can view it below. Why is it so good? This guy is hilarious, and the co-workers who just act like they don't even care just seal the deal. My favorite part is when he starts flailing his arms, and gives a high pitched scream. I hope you enjoy it. How is everyone's brackets holding up?? Picking Temple to beat Michigan State was a mistake. Where were you on that one Digger Phelps?

Exercising / Arizona to the Elite 8?

Thanks for welcoming me back from a two day hiatus in which I was too busy obtaining a 4.0 GPA. Now that's over with, it's back to the wonderful world of putting letters on a page and forming words and sentences out of them. Glorious!

To begin this post I'd like to take a paragraph or so dedicated to the wonderful world of exercising. According to the U.S. Census at this very minute on this very day, there are 303,669,778 people that live in the land of the free. I've often asked myself, how many people really do exercise? Sure, there's factors that prohibit people from exercising as well as I'm sure there are factors that inhibit exercising. I started to actually "exercise" about 6 months ago in the Evergreen State. Have I experienced a drastic change in appearance? No idea. But I do feel better and want to eat better. Key word being want. I also realize that some people get their exercise in different ways. There have been countless articles about what exercise can do for you besides give your body a little lovin'. I got this from a kid's health site that gave a few reasons why exercise is "good for you".



- Exercise benefits every part of the body including the mind (endorphins produced to make a person feel more peaceful and happy)
- Exercise helps people to lose weight and lower the risk of some diseases
- Exercise can help a person age well

Well, it is good for you, and at least your body will tell you "hey, thanks a lot buddy."



A lot of controversy has surrounded those selected into this years NCAA Tournament. I can't complain because Arizona got an at-large bid, but who knows how much it was really deserved. Does the nation seem to forget that Arizona took Kansas into overtime in the beginning of the season? Kansas was selected as a number one seed people. Well, the big story is that not one but two analysts on ESPN.com are saying that the WIldcats are going to be the stunner this year and get to the Elite 8. This includes hired "bracketologist" Joe Lunardi who studies college basketball all day long. I went out on a limb and said, sure, if Arizona is on their game they can beat almost anyone in the country. I followed suit and dare I say it, Arizona will make it to the Elite 8. The big win will come in the second round over Duke which I and about every other Arizona Wildcat would love to see. We'll see what happens but when it all comes down to it, UCLA is the best team in the nation, as long as they can get over the couple of injuries they sustained in the Pac-10 Tournament. They have all the tools necessary to win a national championship. Who knows though, this years bracket is so messed up, I wouldn't be surprised if Oral Roberts was crowned as the national champion on April 7.

**The Rockets 23 game winning streak came to an end when they faced the dominant Boston Celtics. Who saw that one coming? Allen Iverson putting his hand up to his ear upon his return to Philly? Come on. Tiger's run at the Master's...any takers? Who will win the NCAA tournament?

Media Aesthetics - Did You Notice?

I figure I'll kill two birds with one stone here and discuss the ability for all of us to create projects that are aesthetically sound, while doing a blog post! I'm under the gun here so this one will be short, and most likely the next post as well; I'm in the midst of a double-whammy of mid-term exams and projects to be written, shot, edited, and formatted. These things take time people.

Anywho, for those out there who are into being creative when it comes to snapping photos or shooting films, I'm studying how to adjust the screen in which we view these objects so that those within the screen develop stronger emotions, power, size etc. Here's a few examples of pictures that emphasize certain aspects of what all goes into media aesthetics.

1. Narrow-angle lens creating a short depth of field. Objects in the mirror are closer than they appear.
2. The classic figure/ground principle. Do you see angels or devils?
3. Overlapping planes. A way to give a 3D feel to a 2D screen.




I missed posting yesterday so I'll bore you with why I couldn't post.

Sports!: Tiger Woods wins by sinking a 25 foot putt on the last whole and to take his streak of wins to 10. The guy is ridiculous. Also, the Rockets are sitting at 22 wins. Can they keep it going?

Political Jargon

Ok, ok. Let's put it all out there and get it out of the way now before I make another post in November. I'm a journalist, but as you can tell by my blog, I have absolutely no interest when it comes to covering politics. I keep myself up to speed as any normal citizen should. But it is my belief that the way politics are run, it's a web of he said she said baloney. So here's were I write a quick blurb about politics.

As we are heading into a our last 3 months of the primary elections, the Democratic candidate race has been nothing short of neck and neck. Barack Obama vs. Hillary Clinton. Man vs. Woman. Black vs. White. And any other racial, sex, or discriminatory manner you can put them up against each other. Obama, out of the last state to get added to the union, and Clinton, the mid-westerner from Illinois certainly have a clash on certain ideas. I think the next three months will be very interesting to see who will get the nomination from the Democratic party come convention time. The Democratic National Convention this year will be in Denver, August 25-28. On top of who does indeed win the vote, I think the most interesting thing to find out is who these candidates will choose as their running mates.

This sly fellow? Most likely their competition, seeing as how Romney, Huckabee, my mother, my father, myself, and everyone else has dropped out of the running for the Republican nomination. While I attended Arizona, there was constant talk of Senator John McCain making a push for President. It's crazy that the time is actually here. Arizona loves John McCain. And obviously so do all the republicans in the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The only opinion I will give on the matter of John McCain is that whoever he does face, he has a tough challenge ahead of him. The Democrats are in control of the House, Bush has somehow been in the oval office for nearly 8 years, and voting in another Republican may be a difficult thing to do come November. It will also be interesting to see who he picks to run with him. Give Bob Dole a holler.

On a side note, and a note I'd rather write about, the Houston Rockets are heading into that amazing 5-game stand starting tomorrow against the Los Angeles Lakers. Will the Rockets keep the streak going at 22? If they do, will they honestly last the entire week? If not, my question to you is who will be the team to squash the chance at making history?

Love Music?

Another thing that I will rarely do, is post movie reviews. It will have to be something truly inspiring for me to want to mention them in my blog. That being said, I wanted to recommend a feature film for all those music lovers out there. It's called August Rush. Sure, you've probably heard about it or saw the previews for it months ago. But it's a great feel good movie.

I think it means something more to people who come from a musical family, or grew up playing an instrument and still do. The story line could use a little work, but I'm a critic and always look for different ways a story can be told. I think that it helps you to realize what true music is, and how it is felt. I would say that it has a modern day Mr. Holland's Opus feel. If you don't know what that movie is, add that to the list as well. If you do decide to take the plunge and rent it, I hope that you enjoy it.

Will the Wildcats Dance in '08?

In the quarterfinals tonight of the Pac-10 Tournament, the Wildcats lost to Stanford 75-64. An 11 point deficit for all those english majors out there. A source told me tonight that if the Wildcats lost by more than 17, the Wildcats would not get the at-large bid that they need to get in this year's NCAA Tournament. So by his standards, the Wildcats have a shot. I'm really torn as to if they actually deserve a spot this year. Do I want them in the tournament? Can I say yes? But there are certain factors that may contribute to the Cats not making the tournament this year.

#1: 2 Key losses to Arizona State.. As much as it pains me to type the previous sentence it needs to be said right off the bat. First losing to the Sun Devils on the road 64-59. At the time, the Cats were ranked #24. James Harden, the Freshman phenom for the Devils this year put up 26. The second loss came at McKale Center, where the Cats pretty much only needed Jarryd Bayless to play. Bayless put up an unbelievable 39 points, but the Cats had no other help and lost the game 59-54. Can someone say where was Chase Budinger? These 2 loses, as much as I cringe to think about them, where just 2 shots in the foot.

#2. Jarryd Bayless' knee injury.. The Wildcats went 1-3 when Bayless was injured. Thats an average of 20 ppg that you just don't get. Other players tried to step up, mainly Budinger who already should have, but to no avail. Those three loses (one against ASU) put the Cats on a bad track and they desperately needed Bayless back.

#3. Wise steps up, then sits down. There's so much you can say about Nic Wise this year. He increased his playing time significantly after keeping the team together when Bayless went down. He stepped up defensively and increased his ppg by 8. But then a knee injury sidelined him for more than 2 weeks. He was a spark plug to the team, then it was extinguished when he went under the knife.

#4. Going 8-10 in conference games. Jay Bilas even said that the Pac-10 was the toughest conference to be in this year. This fact made it even more important for the Wildcats to show a strong presence and win games. They didn't. Not only did they lose to ASU twice, but they lost to Oregon twice as well. Porter and his tre-ball always kill the Cats when they play the Ducks. However, the Cats did beat Washington State twice. And they have been ranked all year long. Those two wins could keep them in the hunt.

There's so many factors that go into what grants a team a spot in the NCAA tournament. As a team, you hope that the committee focuses more on your important wins, as opposed to you're big losses. It's a tough situation that the Wildcats are in. They have one of the hardest schedules in the country this year, if not the hardest. That may work in their favor but we won't know what will happen until Sunday. My projection: Arizona makes it and earns a 8 or 9 seed in the field of 65.

Question: If the Wildcats do in fact make the tournament, how deep will they go? Sweet-Sixteen? Elite-Eight? Final-Four? National Champion?!?

Trivia answer: The team with a current 10-game winning streak? The Boston Celtics.

No Yao? No Problem.

You know, it's just too good to not write about. The Houston Rockets are the NBA right now. They are on a 20-game winning streak that puts them into the top 3 streaks of all-time. They tied the 1970-71 Milwaukee Bucks streak and with another win will put them in sole possession of 2nd place. The top streak? 33 games by the 1971-72 Lakers.

It's an amazing feat to accomplish 20 wins in a row. But the hard part is what's coming ahead for the Rockets. After tomorrow's game against the Charlotte Bobcats, the next 5 are against teams that are just plain good. They've got the Lakers on Sunday. Followed by the Celtics, Hornets, Warriors and Suns next week. Are you kidding me? If the Rockets push through next week and still have this miraculous thing going, then I'd put money that they can knock on the door of 33 wins in a row. Any takers?

Trivia answers: Joe Girardi caught David Cone's perfect game as a New York Yankee on July 18, 1999.

This post's question: What team this season is currently on a 10-game winning streak?

Spring Training - Little League Rules?

Let me introduce Joe Girardi. Girardi is, as you can see, the new head coach for the New York Yankees this season. Girardi was also a player, a catcher, that played for 14 years in the major leagues I might add. An incident occurred in Spring Training last Sunday. There was a play at the plate in the Yankees game against Tampa Bay. Elliot Johnson, an infielder for the Devil Rays was hustling to try and beat out a throw, and in the process lowered his shoulder and took out catcher Francisco Cervelli for the New York Yankees breaking the catcher's wrist. Johsnon is a member of the 40-man roster. What this means is that he's technically on the team, but not necessarily on the major league roster. He's trying to make the ball club. The day this all went down was his 24th birthday.

Joe Girardi didn't like the actions that Johnson took. Spring Training is looked at as practice games to some because the games don't have any impact on the standings in the regular season. Girardi thought that this was over the line, and that it was uncalled for, implying that these games are "practice" and shouldn't be played at 100 percent Pete Rose had this to offer:

"There's one way to play the game of baseball and that is to win. If you try to win and you are within the rules, that's the only way to play ... I don't know why Joe Girardi would get mad; he's a catcher and that's what happens."

I completely agree. Girardi has no right to argue the fact that Elliot Johnson was giving 200%, and is trying to earn himself a spot on the permanent roster. Tisk, tisk Joe.

On a side note, how about Tommy Lasorda arguing a foul ball call today? #2 can still get down to business.

Related question today is: Joe Girardi caught a perfect game in his career. The pitcher, David Cone. The team? Well that's the question.

The Controversial Shot

Over the weekend, a controversy took place at Pauley Pavilion. To those non-college basketball fans, that's UCLA's home basketball court. They were playing in their final regular season game versus the Golden Bears of California. With just a few seconds remaining on the clock, Josh Shipp put up a desperation shot on the baseline that went over the corner of the backboard and dropped in from the sky to put the Bruins up and eventually give them the win. Here's the video, watch carefully:



Maybe this should clear things up for all those out there that are in awe that the game was won with this circus shot from Josh Shipp:

NCAA Rules, Rule 7
Out of Bounds and the Throw-in
Section 1, Article 3
The ball shall be out of bounds when it passes over the backboard from any direction.

So, ladies and gentlemen, UCLA won the game on an illegal shot. The dispute lies with the officials. The official claims that it "was to close to call" and that he didn't call it because of that specific reason. Or was it because the Pac-10 has had a bad history when it comes to close games and making the correct calls? It is the responsibility of the official to blow his whistle in this situation. If people want to argue that the shot was good, I'll just refer you to the above rule. Was it an amazing shot? Yes, it was, for a game of H-O-R-S-E on a sunny afternoon with your buddies. But in an NCAA setting where the #2 team ranked in the country has the chance to lose it's last game of the season, you have got to blow the whistle. Poor call on the officials. Very poor call. But the question with this post is, because it was too close to call, did the officials make the correct decision by not blowing the whistle and calling the ball out of bounds? I'd love to hear your arguments.

A Day At Sancet Stadium

As I look out at the scoreboard next to the "intimidator" in right field, I see that the Wildcats are up by a few runs heading into the top of the 6th inning. I wipe the sweat off my forehead and feel the 90 degree weather continue to cook me like a hamburger, and I can't help but think about another National Champion circle painted on the left field wall.

The announcer digs as deep as his voice will go to announce another player for the opposing team. Like clockwork, the Hot Corner chimes in and starts with the mind games of whatever sort of verbal constructs they can come up with. There's the usual "pick a major" or "get your life together". But the seasoned members are helping him remember the ground ball he booted with bases loaded in the 3rd. The 7th inning stretch rolls around and you don't hear much but the tape of the organ playing the tune over the loudspeaker. After two verses of "Take Me Out To The Ball Game" the game is ready to continue. Homers follow by Steele, Gaston, Ziegler and Glenn. I lean back against the metal bench of section 13 and hope that this year is the year.

The game winds down, and the Cats put up a couple more security runs on the board. Heading into the top of the 9th, Lopez makes sure he has either Stoffel or Schlereth ready to close things out. Strike three is called and Arizona puts another win in the books. The fans gather their sunglasses and sunflower seeds, and head towards National Championship drive to collect their free 44 oz. thirst busters coupon from circle K for the 10+ strikeouts that Preston Guilmet and the rest of the Wildcat bullpen put in the scorebook. Jerry Kindall field lays dormant behind the smiles of wildcat fans young and old. They're hoping, as they have since 2004, that a trip to Omaha in June lies ahead.

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The #1 Arizona Wildcat Baseball team finished the weekend winning all 3 of their games in the Whataburger Classic. In those 3 games, there were zero runs allowed as they improved their record to 9-1 on the season. This weekend the Wildcats face the Cal State Fullerton Titans at Jerry Kindall Field at Frank Sancet Stadium. The series begins Friday at 7 p.m. MST.

Kenny George

Has anyone had the opportunity to see this absolute freak of nature? For those who don't know, his name is Kenny George. He plays center for the University of North Carolina - Asheville basketball team. He's 7'7". Yes, almost 8 feet tall. I want you to look at the picture below. At first glance it almost seems like he's just a little bit bigger than the other player. Go ahead and click on the photo and then look at the size differential of the two players. The player in the picture is nearly 6'8" tall!!! I just can't get over how big this guy is.



I've enjoyed ending my posts with a trivia question so I'm going to keep with it. Kenny George is huge. There's no mistake about that. But this isn't anything new. We've seen a player in the early 90s who was just as big as Kenny George. Question is, what was his name? I'll even give you a photo to help. Hint: He's the big guy and there's an ironic coincidence with his name and Kenny's.

Unsung Sport

Agility. Skill. Form. Release. All important aspects of a player's game. That game: Disc Golf. Yes, it's a sport. If you don't think so, you can take it up with 7,137 members of the Professional Disc Golf Association. 205 professionals kicked off the 2008 national tour this week in Phoenix. For those of you who don't know how the sport is played, let me enlighten you. It's more than just throwing a frisbee at some trees like most of your family reunion match-ups. There are actual holes. There are tees. There are drivers and there are putters. There are mandatory routes that the disc must fly through or you receive a penalty.

In all honesty it's a lot like real golf. You have to mark your disc after it comes to a stop. Instead of trees, holes look like this:

So you have a tee, a disc and you let it fly until you you get it in the hole. Disc Golf, as that's its proper name - not frisbee golf - is a great sport that is pretty decent exercise. I'll rarely post pictures of myself in my blog, but here's one of myself playing the great sport that you can see highlights on ESPN 8 The Ocho. Get after it!

All Grown Men Cry

There's many post-game interviews that coaches and players do that leave an imprint in my mind. Jim Mora's "playoff's" , Mike Gundy's "I'm a man, I'm 40", just to name two. But there's one that is so heartfelt that it leaves me with a smile and a laugh every time I see it. I'll give you a prelude as to what happened before and during the game.

Tony Romo took a trip to Mexico the week prior to the game with girlfriend Jessica Simpson. The media was all over it, that this trip would cause a loss in the divisional playoff game against the soon-to-be NFL champions, New York Giants. Maybe they were right. The Dallas Cowboys, led by the arm of Tony Romo and the hands of Terrell Owens, had one last chance with :09 seconds left to score 6 points and win the game, being down 21 to 17. The result: an interception thrown into the hands of R.W. McQuarters to end the game and make history. It would be the first time in 20 years that the NFC's #1 seed would lose in the divisional round. Sure, there was plenty of emotion built up after losing the game at home, and end the game on an interception.

By the way, the answer to the trivia question about Brett Favre, is that his last NFL pass attempt for the now retired #4 was put into the arms of the opposite team. An interception. Look it up.

Well, after the storied week before the game and then the game itself, Terrell Owens had plenty to release emotionally. The end result: one of the greatest displays of how much a wide receiver loves the quarterback that throws him passes. Enjoy it. I sure did. And I will again, and again. So much that I had to share it with you.

Something Fun To See

Today, while in the midst of writing many abstracts and broadcast news stories, I had the opportunity to see something that, in my eyes, is a glimpse at what the future will be like. I was able to watch two friends battle it out on the baseball diamond as professional baseball players at spring training. One player, from my hometown who ended up going to my rival high school as well as college, Colin Curtis. The other, a player I had the opportunity to spend many down hours with while studying at the University of Arizona. His name is Delmon Young. My boy D-Y, as we like to call him, now plays left field for the Minnesota Twins. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, and was called up to start in right field for them last season. In the off season he was traded to Minnesota and it's a new start for him. He's a quiet guy. You have to poke and prod to get anything out of him. The kid is a man child, and is expected to bring a strong presence to the plate for the Twins this season. His first at bat today against the Yankees was a home run. Most people don't know that he lost the rookie of the year vote last season by one vote. He's a player that I hope great things for. Its always fun to see a guy you know play at the highest level.

Colin Curtis is one talented individual. He was a threat to my Arizona Wildcats when he played for ASU every time he came to the plate. Not only is he a talented hitter, but he can play tremendous defense, and has pretty decent speed. The road for him ahead is just a little harder than it is for Delmon. You see, Colin was drafted by the most notorious team in the game. The New York Yankees. When you are trying to compete for a spot over a guy like Johnny Damon (who Colin replaced in the 6th inning) you have the most minuscule chance. Here's my projection for Colin. He will get the September call-up this season. September call-ups are the opportunity to be in the dugout and be apart of a playoff team roster. The problem lies in those ahead of him that have enormous contracts with the Yankees. His talent alone can't get him a starting spot over a guy who makes millions of dollars a year. Down the line, he may have to request a trade, or negotiate a contact deal that will get him on the major league roster permanently. The facts remain that he is a major league caliber player. I hope it's sooner rather than later that he gets his opportunity.

Either way, it's a cool sight to see when you are able to witness something like this. I plan to post other happenings about my friends who are struggling to become professional baseball players in the future. There are quite a few that I hope to see on major league rosters in the next few years. The difficulty of becoming a professional baseball player is extremely hard to put into words. There's so many players you are up against. That's why my hat goes off to these guys, because they are truly the best at what they have decided to do. They've had to beat out a lot of players over their years to get where they are. I hope to see some hall of fame names out of this group. Question: Will Delmon Young hit more than 25 home runs this season for the Twins?

Who's Money Is It?

Well, I'll just let these fine citizens answer that question. I don't know if this is marketing genius, or if it's just the worst commercial on the air today. It must be marketing genius because this commercial is absolutely everywhere. I wouldn't be surprised if I caught this commercial during a program on the Lifetime Network. I can't help but think about the director who shot this commercial. I hear things in my head like, "show me anger!" and "I want to hear the anger in your voice!". Hilarious. If you watch some of these reactions, some look as though they've been robbed for every penny they've ever made. I mean, wow, they are sincerely angry.


Lastly today, any guesses on who this future NFL football player is? I'll give you some stats to give you a few hints. He was drafted out of Southern Mississippi by the Atlanta Falcons in the 1991 NFL Draft. He won the Super Bowl in 1996, defeating the New England Patriots 35-21. 9-time Pro Bowl selection. Holds the record for most consecutive starts by a quarterback in NFL history with 253. It's 275 if you include the playoffs. The last stat should have given it away, but this young #10 (we all know him as #4) is Brett Favre. This was today's biggest story in sports. After 17 seasons, Brett Favre retired from professional football. I'll be honest, I'm not that big of a Brett Favre fan. But I will tip my cap and say that he had a heck of a career. On ESPN today, the talk of the airwaves was the debate on if Brett Favre was one of the top 5 quarterback's in NFL history. Woody Paige, sportswriter for The Denver Post put it the best in my mind. He said that Favre was a great quarterback. That much you can't argue. But you have to look at records. And by records, it means Super Bowls. The ultimate test for a quarterback. Favre has only one Super Bowl victory. Montana, Unitas, and Bradshaw all have multiple Super Bowls. Paige listed Favre as #7 on his list of all-time greats. I think that's an accurate place to put him. His flare on the field and ability to drive down the field in pressure situations will be missed in the NFL. But here's the question today to test your memory for all you football fans out there: What was the outcome of the very last throw that Brett Favre made in his NFL career? You may find the answer interesting.

Arizona's Loss to UCLA

I've decided to work on my writing. And what do you know, the best forum in the world is right here in the blogger's paradise. So I'm committing myself to writing a daily blog on whatever I feel like writing. I am giving a warning now however. Most of my blogs will be about the sporting world. Also, I hold the University of Arizona Wildcats near and dear to my heart, so they will find some time on here as well. But I will throw in some curve balls here and there about local, national, or world news that I feel pertinent to give a "Monson Memo" time to. So without further ado, let's hop right into the first memo concerning Arizona's loss to #4 UCLA this weekend.


LUTE IN THE HOUSE!!! For those who don't know, Lute Olson is on a leave of absence this season, and is a legend at the University of Arizona. If Arizona makes a trip to the NCAA Tournament this year, it will be for a record 23 years in a row. Something that schools like Duke, North Carolina and Kansas don't have the pleasure of saying. But it was senior day at McKale Center on Sunday, and Lute graced us with his presence to honor the lone senior on the team, Jawann McLellan. It will be interesting to see what happens next season, and if Lute returns. I'm open to conversation as to what you all may think.


These two players were under the spotlight. I don't think anyone can argue the fact that both of these guys can get to the next level, and will. It will only be a matter of time. Currently Jarryd Bayless is projected to go in the top 10 of this year's NBA Draft. Kevin Love of UCLA isn't listed as a top 10 pick, but I wouldn't be surprised if he went in the first round. Kevin Love is an ideal big man. He can do it all. Get points in the paint, play defense, get up and down the court, and amazingly enough, shoot the 3. Some would argue that his 24 points and 15 rebounds on Sunday carried the load to the Bruins' 68-66 victory. Bayless ended the night with 15, disappointingly under his 20.4 ppg season average. The talk of the night and who I say is the most inconsistent player this season on the Arizona squad: Chase Budinger. To clear up the confusion that you all may have, it is pronounced BUD-ing-grr. The kid can score. I'm just hoping he flips the switch come tourney time.



To wrap things up, I'm pleased with the way the Wildcats played. Although I despise and hate to agree with Duke graduate Jay Bilas, he's for once right. The Pac-10 is the hardest conference in the country to play in this year. So a loss by 2 to the #4 team in the country is somewhat bearable. I think that as Arizona heads to play the schools in the state of Oregon this week, they should be able to walk away with 2 wins to finish the regular season at 19-12. Arizona is said to have the hardest schedule in the country this season, and that alone should get you into the tournament with a few key wins. Ladies and gents "March Madness" has begun. Get your TiVo's ready and be prepared to head to the hardwood. This week's game to watch is Saturday's matchup between Duke and North Carolina at 6 p.m. PST on ESPN. Since I despise everything about Duke, go Tarheels. My question to you is does North Carolina deserve a #1 seed in the tournament with a loss to Duke this weekend? Hmm. Until tomorrow.