After a week-long “getaway,” there’s lots of catching up to do, so let’s get started!
Congratulations to the Russia Raiders on wrapping up a perfect 29-0 season with a much anticipated OHSAA D-VII state title by virtue of their win over Willoughby Cornerstone Christian Saturday evening. An incredible group of eleven seniors who’ve been together since kindergarten and on the basketball court since third grade displayed the best in teamwork in garnering the first roundball championship trophy for the Shelby County school, one of the smallest in Ohio.
Perhaps the best testimonial to the boys from Russia came from Cornerstone Coach Babe Kwasniak, a West Point graduate (whose son Quinn set a new Ohio schoolboy career scoring record with over 3,300 points and had 38 in the title contest). Kwasniak was quoted as saying, “If World War III breaks out, I’m going straight to Russia High School. Give me those kids, and we’re going to be okay.”
Also, congratulations to the Flyers of Marion Local, who came up short in their quest to add a D-VI crown to last fall’s football title in falling to Woodsfield Monroe Central 43-35. The team set a school record with 26 wins this season but had shooting woes throughout the game due in no small part to an outstanding defensive effort by Monroe.
Well, the Sweet Sixteen stage of March Madness has been reached, and I assume, just like me, that everyone’s brackets have been blown up, especially in the first round (damn you, Clemson, you were supposed to get to the Final Four!).
Anyhow, it has been exciting as usual, although with fewer upsets than have been the norm lately. The SEC leads the way with seven teams remaining (although they started with a high of fourteen and still haven’t convinced me that the league is that great!) while the Big Ten has four representatives, the Big Twelve four, and the ACC only Duke. I miss the Cinderella teams from the “non-power” conferences not being present, but evidently, the glass slippers were out of stock this year!
My Final Four picks? I like Michigan State, Florida, Duke, and Tennessee, but that doesn’t mean a thing, let’s just hope for close, exciting contests this weekend!
College basketball at the highest level has been rocked by the rapid development of the transfer portal and NIL monies, along with conference realignments that have no logical reasoning involved other than the almighty dollar.
Add to that the revolving door of coaches leaving for “greener pastures” as soon as their teams are eliminated from the tournament. For example, Ryan Odom of VCU left for Virginia on Friday after his Rams lost to BYU on Thursday. At least Odom has a grain of gratitude for his time at VCU ,whereas the same can’t be said about McNeese State’s Will Wade and Xavier’s Sean Miller. Both were given a “second chance” at those schools after various and sundry violations at their previous stops at LSU and Arizona, respectively, but each promptly will be heading different programs next fall, Wade at North Carolina State and Miller at Texas. As my friend Pat Serve summed it up, “ they are on the same list with Benedict Arnold and Judas Iscariot as among all-time traitors!”.
Here’s today’s trivia question—Ryan Odom coached one of basketball’s greatest tournament upsets in 2018 when his sixteenth-seeded team became the first to knock off a number-one seed. What was the team, and who did they beat?
The regular Major League season gets underway Thursday (although somehow the Dodgers are 2-0 after beating the Cubs in Tokyo last week), and veteran Hall of Fame sportswriter Hal McCoy has made an admittedly tenuous pick of the Reds to win the NL Central crown. Let’s hope that new manager Terry Francona’s team stays healthy this year and that both newcomers and returning stalwarts come through for Reds Nation!
How’s this for a nice payday? ESPN’s star sports commentator, Stephen A. Smith, agreed to a five-year deal worth more than $100 million to remain with the network. Love him or hate him (there’s no in-between!), you have to admit that he’s entertaining!
That “getaway” I mentioned earlier was to Anna Maria Island on Tampa Bay. The area was devastated by three hurricanes in ‘24, as Debby, Helene, and Milton all did tremendous damage, but for the most part, Anna Maria has recovered. Two of our favorite restaurants, the Sandbar and the Waterfront, were both inundated by three or more feet of sand and water but were up and running again within a few months, and the rest of the community has made equally remarkable comebacks.
On the way back, we had a flight connection in Charlotte, so we spent the weekend there and attended a Jerry Seinfeld and Jim Gaffigan comedy show along with 15,000 of our closest friends. Great entertainment, have to say that Seinfeld was outstanding, but Kathy and I thought Gaffigan was funnier. I guess we were waiting for Jerry to say “Newman”! Boarded a flight at CLT when the weather was 75 and sunny, got off in Vandalia, and it was 41 and rainy; almost turned around and took the next flight south again!
The trivia answer—remember when the University of Maryland Baltimore County became the first sixteen-seed to beat a number-one seed? In 2018, the Terriers, under Ryan Odom’s guidance, drilled Virginia 74-54 in the opening round. Evidently, Virginia thought highly enough of that upset that they’ve brought Odom in to restore Cavalier pride!! Stay healthy and active!
