The Greatest Four Weeks of the Year

Cal and New Mexico Last Night

For sport’s fans, today open’s the greatest four weeks of the year, the start of the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament. For me this is the best sporting event of the year, more exciting than the NFL, more passion than the NBA (that’s not hard to beat), two to three buzzer beating shots each day of the first two weeks, and a good reason to take an extended lunch if your team is playing an afternoon game.

Since my California Golden missed the NCAA Tournament, again, I sat through an opening round game of the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) as the Bears hosted New Mexico. I had not seen New Mexico play this season but the game had peak my interest with former Indiana star Steve Alford coaching. Alford, the former Mr. Basketball for Indiana, is the same age as I am and enjoyed watching him play. In 1987, Alford led the Hoosiers to the NCAA Championship Game against Syracuse. The Hoosiers won the game on a late baseline jumpshot by Keith Smart. But, Alford did his part, shooting 7-10 from the 3-point line, scoring 23 points.

Alford as a coach has his team shooting the three. In his first year with New Mexico he and the Lobos went 24-9, and led the nation in three-point shooting at 42.5 percent. Just like Alford in his playing days this was a patient and disciplined team. Down by 10 at half they climbed back into the game on the back of JR Giddens, who had 26-points, 13 rebounds and six assists. The big fellow could do it all, and you could tell was well coached in the motion offense that Alford learned from Bobby Knight. The Bears pulled out the win (68-66) with two freethrows by Jamal Boykin, but I was impressed with the Lobos.

After the exciting finish, I stopped at Blake’s on Telegraph. They have recently remodeled and the place looks cleaned up. I never went to Blake’s as a student because I could not afford to eat or drink there. As a got older it has become a standard when I head over to campus for an event. They have 11 beers on tap and drink specials every night. It looks as if they are trying to get a younger crowd with drink specials every night of the week. An example is: $5 Long Island’s on Monday’s, $1 Beer on Wednesday’s or $3.75 Jack and Cola on Saturday. The food at Blake’s is always very good, but the service at times can be slow. Try the Burger and the fries.

http://www.blakesontelegraph.com/

Cupcake City

Thanks to SI

Cal and Cupcakes

I am a huge College Basketball Fan and tonight my University of California Golden Bears will take on the Hornets of Delaware State and I am excited to see if the Bears can win their final two games before the Pac-10 Season tips-off on January 3 against OJ Mayo and USC. By the way USC thrashed Delaware State on Monday Night 83-54, so I expect the Bears to win tonight.

I will be cheering for the Bears, but I truly do not know how good they are this season. Coach Ben Braun has baked up more cupcakes for out of conference play, than Hostess. If a college had the word State in their name Braun booked them: Nicholls State (Had to look up where they were from -- Thibodaux, Louisiana), San Diego State, Jackson State, Kansas State and now Delaware State. The only team of substance was K-State, which handed the Bears their only loss this season. Cal does have wins over Nevada and Missouri, but I still not sure they have what it takes to win against elite teams.

I guess Braun looked at the Pac-10 this season and said to himself, I am going to need get as many wins as possible before conference play begins. UCLA, Washington State, USC, Arizona, Stanford and Oregon will all provide tough test for the Bears and it is conceivable that a possible 8-1 start could see the bears finishing with just 15 wins. This brings me to one of biggest criticisms of top tier college athletic programs, scheduling of cupcakes.

Cupcakes taste good, even provide a level of satisfaction, but in the long term they are bad for you if you have to many of them in one setting. The Bears have some legitimate big time players in Devon Hardin, Ryan Anderson and Patrick Christopher. These player need to be battle tested if they expect to do well in the Pac-10 and advance to the NCAA tournament. The win over Jackson State was pointless, a school record 117-points for a regulation game against a team no one will remember. Cal is 5-0 in Berkeley this season, where it has won 18 of its last 19 contests against non-conference competition, but has failed to advance in the NCAA tournament since 2002-2003. Since Braun's arrival the Bears have reached the Regional once, in 1997, ten years ago. The number of first round exits, four.

So, with great optimism that I head to Harmon Gym (I still do not call it Haas) to watch the Bears eat one more cupcake, I just hope they don't get an ill feeling from the game.

(Side note for my buddy Dils, March is the 15th anniversary of Jason Kidd and Cal beating Duke, 82-77)

For a drink before the game, and hopefully a celebratory drink after, it will be Raleigh's on Telegraph. Large beer selection and good food. Raleigh's is at 2438 Telegraph Avenue (between Channing Way & Haste St) Berkeley, CA 94704