Signing Ceremony for Omnibus Lands bill

Below is my first blog post - at least on this blog - entirely about work. I wrote it today for Sierra Club's Treehugger blog (it's not just a slur, it's a blog!) regarding yesterday's signing ceremony for the Omnibus Lands bill.

March 31, 2009

Flanked by environmental champions, and in front of an audience of environmentalists, hunters and anglers, and outdoor industry groups, President Obama signed the Omnibus Lands Bill into law yesterday. The bill signing was a big win for America’s wild places, and for the Sierra Club.

The bill, which protects more than 2 million acres of public land, has been a priority for the Sierra Club for the last two years. But some parts of the bill, such as the Owyhee wilderness, had been a chapter priority for more than a decade. Any way you look at it, the Omnibus Lands bill is the largest public lands bill to pass Congress in almost 20 years.

The best way for me to describe the bill signing ceremony is fun, about as much fun a Sierra Club lobbyist or activist can have in DC. Everyone there – and there was quite a bit of mingling prior to the ceremony - was in a fantastic mood. Members of Congress, hard-working Congressional staff, and enviros were back-slapping and were grinning gorp-eating grins.

The actual ceremony took place in the East Room. The last time I was in that room was in early January 2001, when then-President Clinton gave us some good news – that he was establishing the Missouri Breaks National Monument in Montana - but mainly bad news: that he was NOT going to name the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge a monument. While happy about the Missouri Breaks, almost all of us left that ceremony disappointed and worried about the looming anti-environmental presidency of George Bush.

We survived the Bush years, and for instance won votes to keep the Arctic Refuge off limits. But those were votes to stop something bad. How great to revisit that room 8 years later – I practically was sitting in the same seat - to watch a president like Barack Obama sign a bill that we loved, a bill that protects more than 2 million acres of wilderness? Words can’t describe how good it felt to be on hand to see a great bill signed into law, a bill that makes things better as opposed to stopping a bill to make things worse.

It was proof that with Obama as president, we can be aspirational again, that we have a chance to make our country and planet better.

That was the other thing that struck me about yesterday’s ceremony. President Obama was introduced by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, who gave a great speech reminding everyone that in moments of national peril, American presidents and people have often looked at the land to bring us together and “fuel our spirit.” The Secretary’s speech touched on Lincoln protecting Yosemite during the Civil War, on Teddy Roosevelt expanding the national park system at the dawn of the 20th century, and how Franklin Roosevelt, as the nation struggled during the Depression, gave millions of Americans jobs through Civilian Conservation Corps. The speech concluded with Secretary Salazar saying “for America’s national character - our optimism, our dreams, our shared stories – are rooted in our landscapes.”

President Obama and Secretary Salazar were flanked by Congressional leaders like Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Majority Leader Harry Reid, and environmental champs like Reps. Nick Rahall, Raul Grijalva, Dina Titus, and Senator Jeff Bingaman. It was unbelievable to be reminded that those are the people in charge of the country. That environmental policy is being made my leaders such as Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi, folks who think like we do when it comes to America’s special places. Unbelievable.

As I left the ceremony - but after I got to personally thank Speaker Pelosi - I turned to my friend Tiernan Sittenfeld from the League of Conservation Voters, and wondered if our kids will look back at this era as the golden age of environmentalism. Hopefully, yesterday’s bill signing is just the start of that era, one that starts with leaders like Obama, Salazar, Pelosi and Reid but ends long after my kids and Tiernan’s kids have had kids - and grandkids - of their own.

A godly Sunday

Did you know that if you do a Google search for the phrase "Danny Green Is God" this website is the first - and last I checked only - site that pops up? 

I hope that phrase turns into a few more hits, and after today I wouldn't be surprised.  Danny Green dominated the first half against Oklahoma as the Heels cruised to a 72-60 win.   Where to start in reviewing Green's game?  He hit threes, drove to the basket, played great help defense.  

But for me two plays stand out. One was his offensive rebound and put back against the Griffin twins.  He simply out muscled and out willed both brothers on that play.  I predicted that Hansbrough would out will Griffin; on that play Green did. Two, I loved his little pull up 8 footer with about three minutes left when Oklahoma was flirting with a comeback.  Instead of launching a three - as he did three years ago in the regional final against Georgetown - Green put the ball on the floor and sank an easier shot.  A smart play that was the final nail in this win.

And what a win.  For the second game in a row Carolina calmly dismantled a foe that on paper was supposed to be a challenge. But today Carolina was never really threatened.  The Heels jumped out to an early lead behind Green and Tyler Hansbrough - and did not look back as they moved on to their second Final Four in a row, third in five years, ninth in the last eighteen.

The second half started much like the first, but instead of Green it was Ellington hitting two shots, Lawson hitting from three and driving the lane, and Deon Thompson getting and making great looks.   The rout was on and the lead eventually grew to 21 points before some sloppy play made the game look closer than it was.  The Heels dominated.

In fact, the domination was so complete that it made me wonder if Oklahoma was actually any good.  Other than Blake Griffin, who is incredibly agile, the Sooners looked like a high school team against the Heels.  One good player and that's it.

I'm surprised Jeff Capel (Fayetteville South View High, and Duke) didn't call a few timeouts to tell his team to stop shooting so many threes.  Oklahoma had absolutely NO offense other than Griffin.  So let me know, why did folks think Oklahoma was any good?

Then again, he is a Dookie so I shouldn't have expected much.  And I went to Smith, not Southview.

But the other story here is how good Carolina's defense was.  They effectively doubled Griffin, particularly in the first half when Hansbrough was on the floor.  For a guy who got his 22 and 12, his play was a non-factor on the final outcome.

Chalk up another dominant win for the Heels.  A dominant win where Hansbrough was in foul trouble, Ellington broke his streak of more than 20 double-figure games after finishing with only 9 points, where our fifth option on offense is our third leading scorer.   That's how good this team is.   I like our chances next weekend.

A FEW MORE NOTES

• Today's game was a battle of the last two states to hold the designation of "The Worst and Most Embarrassing Senate Delegation."  The title had resided with my home state for six years when we had Jesse Helms and Lauch Faircloth "representing" the Tar Heel State.  But now Oklahoma wins that title hands down with Tom Coburn and James Inhofe representing the Sooner State in the Senate.
• The referees really stunk in this game.  They called too many ticky-tack fouls against both teams, and as a result the game had absolutely no flow or pace.
• Louisville, the overall number one seed, looked as bad as Oklahoma today in choking to Michigan State.  They were completely out-classed by a Spartans team that was not intimated.  The Cardinals looked tight and nervous and were playing not to lose.  They cracked under the stress of making the Final Four and the pressure from Michigan State's defense.  
• That game was also a testament to Tom Izzo, who wins every season yet seems underrated.
• One of the most shocking parts of today's game was the commentary of usually off-base Clark Kellogg.  Kellogg was on the money 3 times today: calling out Capel and Oklahoma for being too reliant on Griffin for all their offense; comparing Danny Green to all the wonderful things baking soda can do (for baking, cleaning, as an air freshener, etc.);  and for pointed out that while Griffin was enjoying his home run trot after a freak-nasty dunk Ty Lawson had raced to the other end of the floor for two points.

That play summed up the game.   Griffin had some nice dunks, but the Sooners had nothing else.   A motivated and balanced Carolina team played a great game - especially on defense - and are on their way to the Final Four.  

Oh yeah, and Danny Green is god!

hUpdate

While waiting for today's game versus Oklahoma - a game I think the Heels will win thanks to Ellington and Lawson - a few more hoops stories caught my attention.

• How cruel or ironic or whatever for the Wizards to lose last night - in Gilbert Arenas' return from knee surgery - courtesy of a blocked shot by none other than Kwame Brown?  Kornheiser semi-famously coined the term 'Curse of Le Bulez," and there may be something to it.  Last night, the twin curses of the DC franchise - a wasted number one pick and a talent wasted by multiple knee surgeries - met in one game changing play.  Funny how sports - or I guess life in general - sets up those kinds of situations.
• Villanova won one of the ugliest games I've seen in a while.  Both teams played incredibly hard but not necessarily well. But that's Big East basketball, and that's enough to dominate this tournament.
• Interesting and I think ultimately prophetic quote: "He won't come out and admit it; of course he's going to say it's about the team winning, and ultimately it is," close friend and teammate Bobby Frasor said. "But it's the same type of deal when we played Notre Dame ... and he faced Luke Harangody. He wants to prove to everyone that he is better. He wants to out-perform [Griffin], get the win and just do everything he can to show how good he is."   Sounds right to me.

Putting the Elite in the Elite Eight

Carolina administered a thoroughly enjoyable beat down last night to the Bulldogs of Gonzaga to reach the regional final for the third consecutive season.

I enjoyed this game for three reasons:

1. I like watching Carolina basketball, and despite perhaps a few too many three-point shots, this game was pure Dean-inspired Carolina basketball.  The Heels ran, fed the post, took what they wanted from the over-matched Zags, made great decisions, and played the passing lanes; that's the way the game is supposed to be played.
2. It was a bit of a revenge game since Gonzaga beat Carolina the last time the two teams met, and I enjoy watching the Heels beat teams that have it coming (like defeating Coburn in the Senate on wilderness, or taking down the Dukies in front of their entitled fans in Cameron).  I especially like watching them beat teams like that my a wide margin.
3. But more importantly, and most satisfyingly, Carolina's play in the last two games has reenforced the notion that this team is focused on winning the national championship. They looked efficient and confident last night, and the stats tell the story.  The Heels shot 55 percent (if you omit the play of the scrubs) and 58 percent from three, and had 12 takeaways - 4 blocks and 8 steals - to only 9 turnovers.  

So a great win over an allegedly good team.  

Finally, I like our chances against Oklahoma.  Look for Hansbrough to out will and out fight Blake Griffin.  Psycho T hit a number of tough shots last night on his way to a ho-hum 20 and 10.   I expect Griffin to get in foul trouble against Hansbrough. 

But this game will be won by Carolina's back court.  Gonzaga's Pargo was supposed to be a match for Lawson, and we saw the beat down "Nine Toes" administered.  Then look for Ellington and Green to complete the job.  Ellington is playing the best basketball of his career and is the best 2 guard in the tournament if not college basketball right now.  And Green is fully out of his funk; he went 3 for 6 on three-pointers, and had his usual stat sheet stuffing game last night: 13 points, 7 assists, 3 boards, 4 steals, 2 blocks.  Man, I love that guy.

Anyway, I like our chances.   GO HEELS!

ACC in the Dumps

I was actually rooting for Duke to beat Villanova out of ACC loyalty two nights ago.  What an embarrassing run for the conference.  I still assert that the ACC was the better conference this year, but obviously the Big East has had a better run in the tournament. 

The mystifying part is trying to explain how badly ACC teams have played. Duke looked completely out of it - mentally and physically - against Nova. Ditto Boston College and Wake in their humbling and bumbling losses in the first round.  Duke, FSU and Wake - along with Carolina - should have made it to the Sweet 16.  Instead, we're left with head-scratching losses and second-rate status.

Zito H Ellas

As most of you know, today is Greek Independence Day.  It's the 188th anniversary of the fractured Greeks coming together, initially in Kalavrita in the Peloponesos, to fight against the Ottoman Empire and declare the first Hellenic state ever.   

There had never been an actual Hellenic state prior to 1828 (the year Greece won its independence; the war started on March 25, 1821).  Everyone knows about the city-states, and Alexander united Greece for a time.  Finally, many consider the Byzantine Empire from the 6th to the 12th century the 'first' Greek state.  But though the Byzantines spoke Greek they identified themselves as Romiosini since their empire was the eastern Roman Empire, the direct successor to the Rome-based empire.  

It's a great story of disparate Greek factions (that's the picture on the right) finally coming together to thrown off the Ottoman Empire. Inspired by the French and American revolutions, intellectuals and merchants inside and outside of Greece reconnected with the ancient Greek ideals and joined together to start the war of independence. They also sensed that the Ottoman Empire was weakening in the Balkans, so their inspiration and organizing came together at just the right time. Seven years later, aided by the Great Powers who guaranteed Greece's independence, the modern Greek state was born.

It almost goes without saying, but to be Greek is to be arrogant and full of pride.  And nothing personifies that arrogance more than the day Greeks chose to launch their revolution and declare their independence.  March 25th is also the day Christians believe that the archangel Gabriel appeared before the Virgin Mary to tell her she would give birth to the son of God, Jesus.

Greeks have no problem comparing the birth of their state to the birth of Jesus, God the son. How's that for arrogance?  "Your country is the land of liberty?  Ours is the Jesus of countries."

Finally, it's one thing to compare classical Athens or Hellenistic Alexandria or Constantinople under Basil the Great to Jesus, but the Greek condition in the early 19th century was hardly godlike.   But the peasants, brigands, intellectuals, merchants, ship owners, clergy and others, drawing on the ancient Greeks, saw their new nation as something akin to the son of God.   

How can one argue with that?

Zito H Ellas!

(That translates into 'Long Live Greece' in barbarian)

HelleNews

• President Obama and Vice President Biden celebrated Greek Independence Day today at the White House.   I need to try to get invited to that next year.  A news feed from a pool reporter is below.
• Speaker Pelosi also issued a statement, and Congress passed a resolution honoring Greek Independence Day
• Finally, in honor of Greek Independence Day the House passed HR 146, the Omnibus Lands bill, to protect more than 2 million acres of new public land.
• Pretty big day. I'm tired.  

Pool report #3, March 25, 2009

Greek Independence Day celebration

POTUS and VPOTUS hosted a celebration of Greek Independence Day in the East Room, as they and their honored guest, Archbishop Demetrios, Primate of the Greek Orthodox Church in America, took turns lauding the ties and shared democratic heritage of the two countries.

At one point, as the Archbishop appealed for US help in several issues of special importance to Greeks, the Archbishop suggested the President could follow “the brilliant example of Alexander the Great” and “cut the Gordian knot of these unresolved issues.”
That led POTUS moments later to joke that “I will tell Michelle that I’ve been compared to Alexander the Great. I will see whether that gets me a little more respect. At home she knows she’s still the boss.”

The “injustices” the Archbishop cited in asking POTUS for “your special assistance” included issues related to Cyprus; to the use of the name, Macedonia, by that country; and (and in this case I’d be cautious because I had some trouble understanding the words), difficulties faced in Turkey by the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Archbishop of Constantinople.

The event marked the 188th anniversary of Greek independence.

About 180 guests attended, including members of Congress with, and many without, Greek heritage, from Maryland’s John Sarbanes to Sander Levin of Michigan, Carolyn Maloney of New York, Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, Robert Wexler of Florida and others. Also spotted: US Ambassador to Greece Dan Speckhard and Budget Director Peter Orszag. The Archdiocesan Metropolitan Youth Choir was there, and was to perform, but did not during the 45 minutes or so that your pool was there. Chef Michael Psilakis was cooking at the White House Wednesday night, offering what were described as signature Modern Greek dishes off the menu of his New York restaurant, Anthos: Open Goat Moussaka, Roasted Octopus with pickled morel mushrooms, etc.

The Vice President spoke first, for about four and half minutes, credited his first election victory to help from the Greek-American community, described himself as “an honorary Greek,” and declared, in one of many nods to ancient Greece, “Our countries come from the same historical DNA.”

The Archbishop spoke for about 8 minutes, and POTUS spoke for five and half minutes. The speeches began with Biden at 5:12 pm and ended by about 5:30 pm.

What a win

An exhilarating - way too exhilarating - win tonight over LSU.  Carolina closed like Mariano Rivera against LSU to gut out the win and secure a place in the sweet 16.

LSU came out of halftime looking like Greece versus the US at the 2006 world championships by hitting 9 of their first 10 shots. I'm not sure if Carolina came out lackadaisical or cocky after their nice to run the end the first half, or LSU simply came out fired up, but the Tigers started hitting shots from all over the floor.

Conversely, Carolina looked tentative, especially Hansbrough and Thompson.

But that's when Ty Lawson shook off his bad toe and the bad juju.  He started by hitting two three-point shots to blunt the Tigers' new-found momentum.  Carolina finally tightened up the D a bit - led by Bobby Frasor (3 steals in 17 minutes!) and Ed Davis (9 points/7 boards/2 blocks in 25 minutes) but also Danny Green after Roy 'talked' to him on the bench. Then Ty Lawson started doing what Ty Lawson does: aggressively and repeatedly taking the ball to the rack.   

The ACC player of the year had a number of tough takes for baskets, with a few and-1s too. It was inspirational on more than one level: a guy stepping up when his team needs him, a guy excelling while playing on a bad wheel that visibly bothered him in the first half; a guy sacrificing his body on defense (2 of Carolina's 11 steals).  In the end he scored 21 of his 23 team-high points in the second half.  Great stuff from a great player.

But Lawson didn't do it alone.  Wayne Ellington was Georgelynchesque tonight, making plays all over the floor. He was 9 for 16 overall and 3 for 6 on three-pointers to finish with 23 huge points.  But his excellent shooting only tells part of the story. Ellington was strong on every part of the floor, and finished with the points plus 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and a blocked shot.  He was also strong on defense, and had two nice 'wall' plays in addition to the steals.  And on Danny Green's huge three down the stretch Ellington made a game-changing play when he tapped a loose ball, volleyball-style, to his teammate.  As great as Lawson was, Ellington was his equal.

Hansbrough was very strong in the first half, then seemed intimidated a bit in the second.  Still, he had his own big shot down the stretch too to extend the lead.

Those three, plus Frasor and Davis, helped the Heels really tighten up the defense down the stretch. Frasor in particular had a two important steals during the decisive Carolina run to put the game away,  The Heels eventually figured LSU out, and their oft-maligned defense came up strong in the last 10 minutes of tonight's game.

Bottom line, it looks like Lawson is back.  Five days of rest should help Ty recover in time for the sweet 16 next week  As long as he feels good, I'm feeling good.

ONLY A FEW MORE NOTES

• I hope that 3 gets Danny Green back on track. He looked very tentative today, but to his credit he took that second three to help put the game away.  If Green is on and Lawson is healthy - and tonight for Carolina that was for only about 15 minutes - the Heels are unstoppable.  
• So much for conference loyalty: the Dukies were repeatedly shown cheering on LSU.  I doubt the Devils will make it that far, but I'd love to beat them for a third time in the Final Four.
• Oh yeah, Go Longhorns (even if they are coached by Dean enemy Rick Barnes)!
• Roy did something tonight that he and Dean are usually reluctant to do: he called time out three minutes into the second half during the massive LSU run.  Tar Heel fans recall that Roy did NOT do that during the Kansas onslaught in last year's national semi-final.

As much as I love seeing Lawson on the floor

And I truly do - I love seeing Ellington assert himself.  And I love the Hansbrough steal and Danny Green three-point play at the 3 minute mark in the first half.  GO HEELS!

Heels Look Good; Rest of College Basketball Looks Boring

The Heels rolled behind Wayne Ellington, Tyler Hansbrough and Bobby Frasor to an easy 40 point win over Radford in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Even with Ty 'Nine Toes' Lawson on the bench the Heels still ran to more than 100 points.  Sure, it was only Radford but scoring 100 points in 40 minutes of play is almost always worth noting, and the Heels did it with their back up point guard (technically their third-string point guard since Frasor has primarily played the 2 this season).

As predicted here at Carolina and Hellenic Blue, Wayne Ellington led the way. The offense was very very efficient, especially to at the end of the first half and beginning of the second, and the Heels generally got any shot they wanted.

It was also good to see Danny Green score in double figures and end up with his first career double-double.  A relieved Green gave a small fist pump when he scored his first basket.  

Next up for the Tar Heels is LSU, who defeated Butler.  Lawson may play, but I would not be surprised if he is held out one more game. LSU won the very weak SEC, and I don't think they match up well with Hansbrough, Deon Thompson, or Ed Davis down low.  

Carolina's win was the only bright spot in what can be generously described as a lackluster first round of games.  Some games were partly interesting, led by our Nebraska Avenue neighbor American University's 10 point halftime lead over Villanova.  But the Eagles eventually faded and lost by 13.

Today, East Tennessee State hung with number 1 seeded Pitt for 36 minutes before losing, and Morehead State trailed Louisville by 2 at half before losing by 18 points.  So three close and interesting games, but not much excitement overall in the tournament.

Nicaa Noodlings

• Carolina's score is noteworthy for another reason; outside of UConn no one else in the field knows how to score.  Most games seem to be in the 60s or lower 70s, including high seed teams like Pitt (72) and Louisville (74).  Scoring in the 70s is okay if you're playing a good team, but not when you are playing a 16 seed.
• BC and Clemson thoroughly embarrassed the ACC. Clemson looked terrible and made a Big 10 team look efficient on offense. They should ashamed of their play and total lack of concentration against an NIT-quality opponent in Michigan. BC was just bad. Tyrese Rice played like a frustrated freshman not a seasoned senior.  The Eagles also made a plethora of bone headed fouls, passes, and mistakes.  How they beat Carolina in Chapel Hill I'll never know.
• Maryland played a spirited game against Cal, and Duke took care of business after a slow start to defeat Bingamton. So the ACC is 3-2 with Wake and FSU about to play tonight.
• Hard not to notice the empty seats in every locale, except for Greensboro where Carolina and Duke are both playing.  It seems like the NCAA books too many of these games in venues that are too big.  But there were empty seats in Philadelphia even though Villanova was playing. 
• So far I was correct about Dayton defeating West Virginia, and Western Kentucky taking down Illinois.  But was wrong about all the Utah schools - I had all three advancing - the Arizona schools - I had them both losing - and Virginia Commonwealth.  

NCAA Preview

No secret that I have the Tar Heels winning their second national championship in 5 years, and their 5th NCAA championship overall (and Roy's second) in all my brackets.  As long as Lawson is healthy - and Hansbrough is Hansbrough - the Heels have too many weapons and should win the National Championship.  As important as Lawson and Hansbrough are to Carolina, I'm picking Wayne Ellington to lead the Heels to the championship.  I love the way he asserted himself in the ACC tournament, and I expect every Heel to be very focused over the course of the next three weeks.

For the record I am in three pools: Sierra Club, Joey Pillow's alumni and the king of them all, the PIRG/Drumtra pool.  And as many of you know, I usually pick who I want to win rather than who I think will win.  But even with that 'system' in place, other than picking the Heels to win it all, I had some trouble with each of my brackets.  

The South is the easiest to fill out; I see Carolina advancing to the Final Four after beating Oklahoma in the regional final, avenging a loss to Gonzaga two years ago along the way.  I have WKU beating Illinois, and Temple upsetting Arizona State and Syracuse. I think both the 'Cuse and UConn will tank in the tournament. I've already seen some folks predict a Clemson win over Oklahoma but the Tigers are 7-7 in their last fortnight of games. Though I generally blindly root for ACC teams I've lost my faith in the Tigers.

My picks in the East are pretty conventional - Pitt beating Duke in the regional final. Duke has a good draw with a chance for a rematch against VCU in the sweet 16. I have the Rams beating UCLA and Villanova; beating Nova may be a stretch. I want to pick local school American University to beat Nova in the first round, but that will be tough too. I've lost any good feeling for FSU but have them making the 16 and losing to Pitt. But Pitt always chokes and the Noles match up pretty well with the Panthers with lots of bigs. I've seen the Panthers play a few times, and just don't think their back court is that good. Toney Douglas - who is that good - could lead the Noles to an upset but I doubt it. Anyway, I have Pitt beating both FSU and Duke which stinks for the Big East-ACC thing.

For me the Midwest, featuring teams I either don't like such as Louisville or teams that seem overrated such was Wake, is the toughest bracket to prognosticate.  Rick Pitino's Cardinals squad is good but has been bad on the road this year, and you know I hate picking a Pitino-coached team. But Wake looked so bad against Maryland I have no faith in them, so by default the Cardinals make the regional final. The other half of that draw is the toughest one for me to predict. I'm intrigued by Dayton and Kansas, and expect BC to defeat Michigan State in a battle of lackluster teams. In the end I have Louisville defeating Wake Forest, Kansas defeating Boston College, then Louisville making the final four.  Then again, my first draft had Kansas in the four.

When I first made my picks for the West, I realized I had three of last year's Final Four teams returning after picking Memphis to advance. A gassed UConn makes this a very weak bracket in my opinion. If Washington gets past Purdue I see them taking down a tired UConn team in the sweet 16. On the other half of that bracket I guess Missouri could beat Memphis but I doubt it. So I have Memphis defeating Washington in the regional final.

That means Carolina beating Pitt in one semi-final, Louisville beating Memphis in the other. In a rematch of last year's regional final Carolina, led by Wayne Ellington, wins another national championship.

A Few Random Thoughts

• I think the tournament will be a redemption tour of sorts for Hansbrough. Gonzaga held him under 10 points in that loss two years ago, so Hansbrough will get his revenge if the Bulldogs advance.  But I also expect Hansbrough to outplay Blake Griffin and DeJuan Blair if Carolina plays Oklahoma and Pitt.  Psycho T wants to go out with a championship, and his will is Jordanesque.  Don't be surprised if he outplays everyone - even Ellington or Lawson.
• Though I love political underdogs, I'm no fan of Cinderellas.  I like watching good basket, not a less than talented team get lucky and eliminate a better team.  
• This year I'm picking two double-digit seeds, Temple and Virginia Commonwealth, to make the sweet 16.  Both are 11 seeds.  VCU is led by Fayetteville native Eric Maynor (Westover High School).
• I have some other double-digit seeds winning one game, but picking Western Kentucky over Illinois is NOT an upset. Neither is Utah State over Marquette. Both the Illini and Golden Eagles are missing key players due to injuries.
• My one semi-legit upset is Dayton over a very strong West Virginia team.  Dayton is my one destiny pick (at least for one round).
• In my opinion, there are only two teams in the field that did not deserve a bid. Arizona is about as worthy as Virginia Tech but some how made it in. Ditto Wisconsin, who stinks and has no good wins outside of the Big 10. There are too many Big 10 teams in. I would have taken Minnesota or Michigan, but not both and kept Wisconsin at home.
• In there stead I would have taken San Diego, St. Marys, and an ACC team.
• Finally, most folks have probably heard that President Obama has Carolina winning the national championship in his bracket.  Obama made the same pick last year, which may have owed more to the looming North Carolina primary than anything else.  But this year it's pure hoops.

World Baseball Classic

While watching the NCAA tournament I'll keep one eye on the World Baseball Classic.  It's too bad these two events overlap since both deserve undivided attention.

The WBC is getting to crunch time, and last night's come from behind win for the USA over Puerto Rico was a great game.  Not only that, but it felt like a big game.  The Americans won thanks to a three-run rally in the bottom of the ninth. The big hit was David Wright's two-run double, but Tar Heel Brian Roberts had a big hit and great at bat in the ninth.  His single, after being down 0-2 in the count, kept the rally going and Roberts eventually scored the tying run.

The win put the US in the final four along with Venezuela, Korea, and the winner of tomorrow night's game between defending WBC champ Japan and long-time world power Cuba, a game so big I'm planning to TiVO it and watch it between college basketball games.

GO HEELS!

Please, no wagering (at least based on these picks).

Thinking about Lawson's big toe

Hard to be too upset about Carolina’s loss yesterday to Florida State in the semi-finals of the ACC tournament. Even without Lawson the Heels were in this game and had a one point lead with a little over a minute left.

Still, it stinks to lose no matter the circumstance.

Winning without Lawson was hard enough. But the task became impossible with Danny Green having an off weekend. He missed a variety of good looks – everything from open threes to an alley-oop dunk to a few tip-ins and lay-ups – yet nothing worked for him the entire game. A few makes from Green and the Heels pull off this game.

With Lawson out and Green in the wrong kind of funk, Carolina relied on great performances from Wayne Ellington and strong second half from Hansbrough to stay in the game. This was one of Ellington’s best games of the season. Without Lawson to set him up Ellington created a variety of shots for himself, everything from his trademark threes to a number of nifty and aggressive drives to the basket.

After a first half spent getting double-teamed down low Hansbrough did a nice job creating space and had a nice half on his was to another double double, passing Sam Perkins for first place on the Carolina rebound list in the process.

As he was against Virginia Tech the day before, Bobby Frasor was solid with only two turnovers but was incredibly passive on offense. Deon Thompson, who apparently played with a sprained ankle suffered late in the Virginia Tech game, and Ed Davis each had some decent moments, but for most of the game Carolina only had two guys who could score.

Finally, I was impressed with FSU’s shooting. I’m sure ol’ Roy is unhappy with Carolina’s defense, but to me it seemed the Seminoles hit a number of tough shots. FSU hit 10 of their first 12 shots against Carolina to start the second half.

Despite FSU’s hot shooting, Danny Green’s cold shooting, and Lawson’s bad big toe the Heels still were in a position to win this game. And it still stinks to lose.

MORE ACC MUSINGS

• I thought FSU played very well yesterday, which is why watching them lose to Duke today is so maddening. How can a team be so intense and productive one day, then wilt completely the next? The Noles simply did not step up today against the Devils.
• There is good news coming out of this weekend. One is the play of Ellington. Two, Lawson is quoted at InsideCarolina.com as saying his toe will be healthy by Thursday for the NCAA tournament. Thompson’s sprained ankle should be Tar Heeled by then, too. Three, Green has not had back-to-back-back bad game this season so his funk should be cured by Thursday.
• With Lawson on the bench, purposely held out by Roy so his toe could get better, this tournament was obviously tainted for Heels fans. Still, it stinks watching Duke win and Dukies happy. Though this year’s Duke squad boasts two relatively un-offensive players in Jon Scheyer and Kyle Singler, Henderson is as big of a smug, gut-less, right-wing, country-club asshole as any Duke player in history, a long list that includes (in no particular order): Henderson, Danny Ferry, Shane Battier, Corey Maggette, Bobby Hurley, J.J. Reddick, Daniel Ewing, Greg Paulus, Quinn Snyder, Billy King, Jay Heaps, Brian Davis and the king of them all, Christian Laettner (Krzyzewski-era only).
• In the spirit of the Obama administration, here is my list of inoffensive Dukies. Besides Scheyer and Singler, the short list includes Elton Brand, Jay Bilas (for his work with ESPN), Tommy Amaker and maybe Grant Hill (inoffensive but I've always enjoyed rooting against him). Since two of those guys are on this year’s team I guess we are living in the golden age of tolerable Dukies.

Of course, I'll post more on the NCAA tournament brackets later tonight.

ONE HELLENIC UPDATE

I encourage my fellow Hellenes and phil-Hellenes to vote for the Gabby Awards presented by Greek American magazine. I know voting on this blog is often lame but with the Gabby's you can honor "excellence amongst Greek Americans and to reward those who embody it."  Nominees include Tina Fey, Arianna Huffington, Ted Leonsis and Nick Markakis.