Barstool Blog

March Madness

It's a beautiful March day in New England, which means two things...1) we're likely to get pounded by 10 inches of snow within the next week, and 2) the NCAA tournament is on the horizon.  This week, the conference tournaments are in full-swing, and the "bubble" teams are making a final push for one of those tournamanent bids.  I'm not willing to call this tourney the greatest in sports, but those first couple of days are tough to beat.  There's something beautiful about throwing 64 teams into a single tournament and letting them go at it.  You have perrenial powerhouses taking on small schools, some of whom have never qualified, and others who may never get there again. If that's not enough, this tournament is filled with kids who know they will never play another competive game in their lives.  That's not to mention the millions of office pools, illegal gambling, and unproductive hours at work throughout the tournament.  March Madness is everything that's right with organized athletics, and must-see TV for (most) sport's fans.

Bruins

Although they haven't been playing too bad, I thought the aftermath of Saturday's cheap-shot on Marc Savard was downright atrocious.  With they're best player laying motionless on the ice, after the most blatant blind-side elbow, the rest of the Bruins proceeded to skate around aimlessly, while the player that delievered the hit skated away unscathered.  If that wasn't bad enough, the team continued to play for another five minutes without any retaliation whatsoever.  I'm not sure if that falls on the coach or the players, but, either way, that was a clear sign that this team is dead.  There's no emotion, passion, or fire.  Time to start bookin' those tee-times boys, and preparing for the draft, because this team is cooked.  I really do pity Bruins fans, who are maybe the most loyal of any in this town.  That owner is an absolute crooke with no intention of ever repaying those fans who have unconditionally supprted his sh*tty product for decades.  Unfortunately, these fans love hockey too much, and many would never consider not showing up at the Garden for home games.  But, that's likely the only way this team will pay to keep their good players, and maybe make it out of the second round.  This owner is a businessman, and until they get rid of him, I foresee an other 30 years miring in mediocrity.

Patriots

Score one for the good guys.  After years of pro-bowl caliber performance, nose-tackle Vince Wilfork, finally got paid by the (politely speaking) cash-conscious Patriots.  It's a positive sign that they(the Patriots) are willing to poney-up for players that deserve to get paid, especially for good character guys like Wilfork.  Luckily, the Patriots weren't done there, eventually inking their leading sacker, Tully Banta-Cain, and Guard Stephen Neal to extensions.  It also appears that cornerback Leigh Bodden is going to be returning, which is good news considering the lack of free-agent corners on the current market.  It's clearly a good thing to re-sign some of our own guys, but somewhat disappointing we haven't brought in any new faces to a team that couldn't measure-up with the league's elite teams just a year ago.  It's difficult to ignore what's going on 200 miles down Interstate 95, where the Jets continue to bolster their roster and take aim at the AFC East Champion Patriots.  Nearly half of the Jets defensive starters have been All-Pros in their respective careers, not pro-bowlers, All-pros.  That's a scary proposition for opposing offenses who will have to deal with relentless pressure, and a the best corner-tandem in football, in Revis and Cromartie.