My St. Patrick's Day idea

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, all traffic lights should be green for the entire day.

SNAKES ON A PLANE TRAILER!

Sam Jackson is going to win an Oscar for this.

A scary little piece of legislation

The Terrorist Surveillance Act of 2006.

Sarcastic comment of the day

You see, the reason there should be more major conference teams than small and mid-major seeds getting into the tournament is that teams like Winthrop, Pacific, Xavier and San Diego State can't keep games competitive the same way major conference teams like Seton Hall can.

NCAA Tourney? Lost productivity?

King Kaufman wrote better about this study this year and last year, but this Challenger, Gray and Christmas study is a bunch of crap.

They claim the NCAA tournament will cost companies $3.8 billion in lost productivity this year. Look, I'm not going to deny that companies will lose some productivity, but $3.8 billion is ridiculous. I won't go into the numbers too much, but their methodology is terrible. They claim that many serious sports fans spend 90 minutes a week looking at NCAA related websites during the NCAA pool, but so what? It's a big assumption that they'd be spending that time doing something else productive. Perhaps they're just shifting the time they spend reading the Onion and playing games and taking shorter lunch hours, etc, to make up for the time. Maybe they're extra productive in the morning before the games start because they know their time will be wasted later in the day.

Besides I think there are only two days when the loss of production is really, truly, very significant... the first two days of the tourney. These are the only two days with games going on during normal work hours, and they're the only two days that everyone is still in their respective office pools.

Plus, aren't those office pools "team-builders" and "morale boosters?"

Jessica Simpson snubs President Bush

I never thought I'd say this, but Jessica Simpson is doing the right thing.

Censure

I generally agree with Dara and Chris that Censure doesn't really do anything, but damn it, Senate Democrats, if the resolution is out there, you have to support it or you look like a bunch of wimps. Especialy those of you who supported censuring Clinton.

Random complaint of the day

Pepto Bismol?

More like Pepto Abysmal.

I liked Brokeback better too, but...

This rant by Annie Proulx is rather unseemly.

Not sure how to feel about this.

Benicio Del Toro in a remake of "The Wolf Man."

Supporting the troops

Maybe this woman needs this magnetic ribbon.

The Democrats

Ed Helms hit the nail on the head last night.

MVC vs. Maryland

Put your money where your mouth is, Gary Williams:

"MVC vs. Maryland: The Missouri Valley Conference isn't letting Gary Williams off the hook. More than half the schools in the league have called the Maryland offices to schedule a home-and-home series with the Terps in response to Williams' tough-talking quotes earlier this month in the Washington Post. Love it."

Maryland probably deserves to move up a notch or two in the Crazy State Power Rankings based on the actions of Coach Williams. More to come.

I want to be a Superhero

Do you? Well, here's a new reality show that might give you the chance.

Sandra Day O'Connor predicts a Dictatorship

And the press missed it?

Isaac Hayes

Isaac Hayes is quitting South Park because of the show's take on Scientology. He says the show has "crossed a line."

Look, I really wish I could stand up for Chef on this one. I met Isaac once, I have a picture with him, and he was a very personable guy. But it's pretty ridiculous to say South Park crossed the line... South Park is ALL ABOUT crossing the line. They've been making fun of Jews for years, and I still love the show! And they've been maybe even harsher to Christianity... the whole damn show STARTED with Jesus fighting Santa Claus! But now that the show is attacking HIS "religion", Scientology, he quits. Nice.

Great moments in mid-major conferences

2005: Twelve-seed UW-Milwaukee defeats four-seed Boston College in the second round.
2005: Fourteen-seed Bucknell beats three-seed Kansas.
2004: Twelve-seed Pacific beats four-seed Providence.
2004: Twelve-seed Manhattan beats four-seed Florida.
2003: Thirteen-seed Tulsa beats four-seed Dayton.
2003: Twelve-seed Butler beats four-seed Louisville in the second round.
2001: Fifteen-seed Hampton beats two-seed Iowa State.
2001: Thirteen-seed Indiana State beats four-seed Oklahoma.
1999: Fourteen-seed Weber State beats three-seed North Carolina.
1997: Fifteen-seed Coppin State beats two-seed South Carolina.
1996: Thirteen-seed Princeston beats four-seed UCLA.
1995: Fourteen-seed Old Dominion beats three-seed Villanova in three overtimes.
1993: Fifteen-seed Santa Clara beats two-seed Arizona.
1993: Thirteen-seed Southern beats four-seed Georgia Tech.
1991: Fifteen-seed Richmond beats two-seed Syracuse.
1990: Fourteen-seed Northern Iowa beats three-seed Missouri.
1988: Thirteen-seed Richmond beats four-seed Indiana.
1988: Fourteen-seed Murray State beats three-seed N.C. State.
1986: Fourteen-seed Cleveland State beats three-seed Indiana.
1986: Fourteen-seed Arkansas State beats three-seed Notre Dame.

And while no sixteen-seed has ever beaten a one-seed, here are some close calls:

1996: Purdue 73, Western Carolina 71
1990: Michigan State 75, Murray State 71 (OT)
1989: Georgetown 50, Princeton 49
1989: Oklahoma 72, East Tennessee State 71

The Missouri Valley

I don't remember who, but one of the CBS guys after the selection show complained about the Missouri Valley having 4 teams in the tourney, and mid-major conferences in general.

His complaint: In the last 3 years the Valley has had 6 teams in the tourney and only 1 win.

Well, despite the fact that the Valley has actually had 7 teams in the tourney and only one win and he could have made his point a little better... It doesn't add up.

In 2003, the Valley had 2 teams in the tourney, a 6 seed and an 11 seed. Both lost, but the six-seed, Creighton, lost to eleven-seed Central Michigan, of the MAC. Not exactly a reason to put more major conference teams in the tourney.

In 2004, the Valley had 2 teams in the tourney, a nine-seed, an eleven-seed and a fourteen-seed. Both lost, but that's exactly what the seeding would predict.

In 2005, the Valley had a seven-seed, a ten-seed, and an eleven-seed. In the first round, the seven-seed won and the 10 and 11 seeds lost, just as the seedings would predict. The seven-seed lost to a two-seed in the second round, as would be predicted.

Bottom line: The Valley has performed in the tournament almost exactly as seeding would have predicted, with the one exception coming from a loss to a team in a mid-major conference.

Now, lets look at the ACC.

Between 2003 and 2005, the ACC had 16 teams in the tourney. Three one-seeds, two two-seeds, Three three-seeds, Two four-seeds, a five seed, Three six-seeds, a nine and a ten.

Sure, they've won 15 of their 16 first round games, but 14 of those were the higher seed winning (The lone exception, NC State as a ten-seed last year).

In the second round, last year, Boston College, a four-seed, had an embarassing loss to UW-Milwaukee, a twelve-seed from a mid major. In addition, a two-seed lost to a seven-seed. Granted, NC State kept their run as a ten-seed going by beating a two-seed. Overall, the ACC went 3-3 in the second round last year.

In 2004, the ACC also went 3-3 in the second round, with no ACC teams winning as lower seeds, and with an ACC three-seed losing to a six-seed.

In 2003, the ACC went 2-1 in the second round, with a six-seed beating a three-seed, but also an embarassing loss by Wake Forest, a two-seed, to Auburn, a ten-seed.

I'm rambling right now, and if your're still reading, I commend you. My point is that the reason the ACC wins more games in the tourney than the MVC teams is that the seeding works, and ranks ACC teams higher than MVC teams. If the ACC had more teams in the tourney, they'd be lower seeds, and wouldn't have any more success than the MVC.