LET THE MADNESS BEGIN

It's not March, but it's time for some Madness. Winter sport tournament time is so much fun for sports fans and media folk alike.

This week, local high school boys' hockey playoffs got underway. With the state tournament now less than two weeks away, here's a quick look at what to expect in the local tournaments.

Section 7AA

Duluth East is such a heavy favorite in 7AA, and this time they have some extra motivation. The David Brown Show in last year's 7AA semis was one of the best high school games I've ever seen, but it still must sting for the 'Hounds. Take a 22-win team, give them one of the best hockey coaches in the state (at any level), and throw a memory like that in for good measure, and you have a team that's going to be extremely tough to beat.

Who challenges them? Not sure it's going to be Forest Lake. The Rangers found a way to win at Andover in the quarterfinals, but I don't think their trek to the DECC Saturday is going to end well.

In the other half of the bracket, I see Elk River emerging. Cloquet/Esko/Carlton got great goaltending from Jordan Thompson to upset Grand Rapids, but they have to find a way to get more offense to beat Elk River Saturday afternoon. The Elks have too much balance and will bring too much heat for Thompson to get it done by himself again.

I believe East will take care of the Elks in the final.

Section 7A

I love Section 7A. It's ridiculously wide open. Any of the top four seeds could emerge, and I wouldn't be at all surprised. I love Hibbing's blend of skill and experience, and they seem to always find a way to the DECC for the final, no matter their seed and no matter what people think of their chances. Virginia/MIB is the sentimental favorite, as they have just one previous trip to state (Matt Niskanen's senior year).

Duluth Marshall is the defending champion, and they have the best player in the section in Zach Mausolf. However, the Hilltoppers have struggled on the blue line, and I'm not sure they can hold off either Hibbing or VMIB.

As for International Falls, they don't have a team like the one Ben Gordon and Tom Biondich led to state, or the one Jake Youso and Brady Hjelle starred on. Instead, the Broncos have balance. Nine players have at least 20 points, and that makes them a tough team to beat. If Mike Hart can be strong in goal, the Broncos are a huge threat.

In the end, I like Chris Westin and Garrett Hendrickson to lead Virginia/MIB back to St. Paul, beating Hibbing in the final. The last time these two played in a section final, over 4,500 fans made the trek to the DECC to see it. You couldn't have asked for a better section final atmosphere.

Section 5A

St. Cloud Cathedral is back as the favorite, thanks to an experienced team led by defenseman Nate Schmidt. The Crusaders knocked off Hermantown and Duluth Denfeld last year, but would only face one of them this year. This is an odd season for 5A, as it's weaker than usual. Fourth seed Sauk Rapids is well under .500, and no one else in the section plays anything remotely resembling a strong schedule.

This Denfeld bunch doesn't have the pizzazz of last year's, but they're scrappy, hard-working, and a tough out in this tournament. Hermantown, the second seed, lost a 2-1 game at SCC earlier in the season, but they've proven they can beat anyone in the state.

Of course, a Denfeld-Hermantown semi isn't a complete lock. The Hunters first have to get by a Proctor team that took them to overtime during the regular season. The Rails have some intriguing young talent, but they'll need a Herculean effort from goalie Derek Robinson to beat Denfeld.

I see Cathedral practically breezing into the final, where they'll run into Hermantown. The Hawks get revenge for last year's semifinal loss, and they get back to state.

Wisconsin

Superior plays Hudson in New Richmond for the Section 1 title on Saturday. The Spartans should be able to get back to state, and I think they have a really good chance to win it all once they get there.

Big Blue was a bit inconsistent at times, but Jason Kalin has been superb at getting his team ready to play the big games. With no clear favorite in Wisconsin, Superior's superb schedule should allow them to emerge.

RANDOMIZATION: 04/07/08

The new building is coming! Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty Monday signed the controversial bonding bill into law. He used his line-item veto power to cut the bill by around $200 million, but he left in funding for the expansion of the DECC. The new complex will house UMD hockey and open in time for the 2010 season.

Obviously, I'm thrilled and grateful that the Governor used his line-item veto, rather than playing more political games with the idiotic DFL. They can't listen and follow requests and instructions, but this wasn't the time for lessons or immature messages. This and many other projects can now move forward, and the Legislature can continue to argue, bicker, and do nothing try to get their work done before the end of the session.

(This wasn't just a good day for UMD hockey. The bill included money for the new events center in Bemidji, a facility that will likely save the Bemidji State program from a possible demise. It also had in it money for work at the National Hockey Center in St. Cloud, though the building is still expected to look like a large concrete block from the inside.)

NHL Playoffs. I hate to send you elsewhere, but my comrades and I will have complete playoff coverage here. Work there is going to keep me very busy, especially as long as Minnesota is alive, but I'll try to keep this updated more often than I have been (wouldn't take much).

As for the pairings, I have a few quick-hit thoughts. First off, the most interesting first-round matchup is Philadelphia vs Washington. The Capitals are white-hot, having picked up 22 points out of a possible 24 (!) in their last 12 games. Amazing run. However, Philadelphia is also playing well, going 7-2-1 in their last ten games. The physical Flyers will give Washington's skill players fits, and the goaltending matchup (Biron vs Huet) features guys who were tossed aside by other teams (Biron was in Buffalo, while Huet played for Montreal).

The worst matchup isn't Boston vs Montreal. Yes, the Bruins went oh-fer in eight games against Montreal, but they're bound to win one here. They're playing well, and the Canadiens are dealing with injuries. The worst matchup is probably Detroit vs Nashville. Dan Ellis might keep the Predators in most of the games, but they don't have a chance to win with the offense they field. Games can't end in 0-0 ties in the playoffs, and teams can't kill the clock to take their chances in a shootout.

I mean no disrespect... But I've probably watched less of this year's NCAA Tournament than ever before. It's not the NCAA's fault, as they've done nothing new to suck the life out of the event. It's not CBS' fault. Outside of a few fumbles when it comes to switching to more compelling games, I think they do a great job. Gus Johnson gets a lot of love from these folks, and most of it is warranted. Jim Nantz isn't terrible, though it drives me nuts that he thinks about how to call a major moment before it happens. Billy Packer gets way too much grief. He's sharp, insightful, and usually only crabby when he should be.

Anyway, it's not their fault the basketball has been dreadful. One out of four regional finals was interesting, and that one didn't go the right way (Kansas-Davidson). Sorry, but four number-one seeds in the Final Four isn't interesting. It might show that the best teams are there, but people don't watch the NCAA Tournament to see the best teams. They watch the NCAA Tournament to see that special Cinderella story. Cinderella isn't in San Antonio. Instead, the favorites are left, and it's not as much fun.

As for the championship game, Memphis and Kansas should provide an up-tempo affair. Both teams want to run, they have great athletes, and they can shoot the lights out. The game should be high scoring, and it should be the best game of the tournament. I like Memphis, because in my opinion, they'll have at least the two best players on the floor (Chris Douglas-Roberts and Derrick Rose ... Joey Dorsey has to fit in here somewhere, too).

(Since I said all of this, Kansas probably wins 63-44.)

RANDOMIZATION: 04/03/08

So, yeah. I'm here. I'm alive. Every month, I think I'm going to update this thing more. Then I slack. I suck. Right now, I'm on my couch, enjoying the Lightning-Capitals game in sparkling high definition. Not even Joe Beninati could screw this night up.

Random thoughts on things that have already happened or are about to happen. Feel free to follow along...

• Michigan is the best college hockey team I've seen as we head into the Frozen Four. North Dakota didn't play terribly well in the Midwest Regional, and I'm not confident in their chances. Boston College is fast, and their goalie doesn't appear easily rattled. Frankly, I'm not a huge Notre Dame fan, meaning they'll probably wax Michigan in the semifinals.
• Despite all the controversy, the NCAA Selection Committee did a good job. The actual selections were made for them, as they are obligated to follow the stringent criteria. The committee didn't pick Wisconsin. The system did. The only decision the committee made that could be fairly criticized was their call to protect the top two national seeds by not making them play in regionals featuring host schools. The Colorado Springs and Madison regionals had to take their host teams (CC and Wisconsin), and the committee was right to send Michigan and Miami out east to neutral regionals. Here's hoping future selection committees follow that precedent.
  
• Please, Washington, make the NHL playoffs. And knock out someone not named "Carolina". If Boston or Philadelphia end up golfing next week, we're all winners. For that matter, Ottawa is practically useless with how they've been playing.
• I was hoping that fun, young, exuberant Edmonton team would make it out West. It's a longshot, but it would be cool as hell to see Chicago make it. I'm not anti-Nashville, but they've yet to show me much in the postseason, despite having home-ice advantage a couple times.
• The NCAA Basketball Tournament can't afford to be boring. Basketball is just not a terribly exciting sport, and the tournament - no matter the tradition - needs some compelling storylines in order to keep the viewers around. This tournament now lacks that. No one is going to care about an all-favorite Final Four, especially when it includes traditional powers like UCLA, North Carolina, and Kansas. Memphis is the only one of the bunch that can claim to be an underdog, and it's only by default because they're from a smaller conference.
• Wisconsin's shooting woes might have blown the best chance they'll have at the Final Four under Bo Ryan. Great coach, but the style he coaches leaves the team really prone to long shooting slumps that can cost them big games. Strangely enough, when those shooting slumps happen, it seems to have a real impact on the team's normally strong free-throw shooting.
• I couldn't agree more with Michael David Smith's take on the NFL's attempt to stop the trend of players letting their hair hang out of their helmets. This is petty, stupid, and could be seen by the oversensitive crowd as being racist. I have no problem with the NFL going so far as to regulate the length of a player's socks, or the color of their shoes. That's part of a uniform. Hair is not part of a uniform. This isn't a restaurant, where problems can be had by someone letting their hair hang out and fly around everywhere. People who care about the length of players' hair have entirely too much time on their hands.
• Chris Henry is in trouble again. Shocking. This time, it cost him his job in Cincinnati, and it's worth noting it's likely to cost him his NFL career. Words cannot describe how sad it is to see someone waste their gifts because they're too stupid to stay out of trouble.
  
• The Phoenix Suns were widely criticized for making the trade for Shaquille O'Neal. Well, now that Shawn Marion has shut it down for the year in Miami, and O'Neal is more and more of a fit in Phoenix's wide-open attack, the trade doesn't look so stupid. The race for eighth in the West is intriguing, with Dallas suddenly fighting for a spot against Denver and Golden State. Denver is probably the least likely of the three to make it when you consider how often they get blown out (something like 15 losses by double-digits). However, they have great talent, and Dallas is reeling with Dirk Nowitzki out. Golden State is simply the most exciting team in the sport, and one has to hope they make it. In the East, nobody cares. Just like pretty much every year.
• Baseball is underway. No major stories yet, though it's nice to see teams like Tampa Bay and Washington off to good starts. However, it's just too early to tell if those teams can sustain anything positive. I think it'll be interesting to see how the National League races develop. The Mets are hardly a slam-dunk to win the East, with Philadelphia and Atlanta both potential contenders. The Nationals would like to think they can win, but I don't see them hitting enough. In the Central, everyone is picking the Cubs, but it's as if they forgot how long Milwaukee held the lead in the division last year. It's not like the Brewers are going to disappear, even if their manager is a bit of an idiot.

NON-SPORTS WARNING...Is this really a surprise? Seriously. How could anyone think this is a big deal? At this point, the Clintons are going to have to steal the nomination from Obama. I wouldn't put it past them, but that's what it will take. At this stage, he's winning the delegate battle, the fundraising battle, and he has all the momentum. Hillary should play it smart, take a potential spot as the vice president on the ticket (because that would be a sure victory, no matter who McCain chooses as a running mate), and stop acting as if she has a good chance to win the nomination (unless Camp Clinton already has a plan in place to steal it).