GuciNugs and Observations

The Beard is checking in with some odds and ends he noticed over the past weekend:

• Terrific NCAA Tournament so far. One of the best I can remember quite frankly, despite two of my predicted Final Four teams already eliminated-THANKS A LOT BIG EAST! Plenty of upsets, last second shots, overtime thrillers, and overall good "white boy basketball" being the term I heard a few pundits use to refer to the success of teams like Cornell, Northern Iowa, Butler, and St. Mary's, as they all advanced to the Sweet 16. After watching the games this weekend, it seems the easiest explanation of why so many upsets took place was the decided advantage teams with seniors in the starting lineup have over teams that have highly recruited talented freshman players. The correlation being that the teams with the seniors have played together longer and know each other's strengths and weakness versus a team featuring superstar freshmen being overwhelmed at the reality of playing in the tournament for the first time...I doubt very highly if that will stop Kentucky from winning it all, but if Kentucky does win it, it will likely be erased within 3 years.
• The NFL Owners Meetings are taking place in Orlando this week, and the number one story so far seems to be possible changes to the Overtime System in the playoffs. The main talking point would be the significance of a field goal, meaning if a team kicks a field goal in overtime, the other team would get a fresh set of downs to do the same. If they kick a field goal in return, THEN the game goes to sudden death. There are three points of outrage that come to my mind. First of all, that's just silly since sudden death would still be possible under this change anyway. Second of all, I somehow get the feeling that the only reason this is even being talked about is because Brett Vicodin didn't go to the Super Bowl last year, and the Networks didn't like it. Third, there is a friggin LOCKOUT on the horizon! How The Lockout isn't priority number one during these owners meetings is beyond me?! Worrying about overtime, and concussions is the equivalent of making sure the doorknobs and brass railings are really shiny on the Titanic. All things NFL should take a backseat until they can secure that the league will even be playing football in 2011.
• Eldrick Woods once again took another major misstep on Sunday. In another bizarre move from Goliath, he agree to do a 5 minute "interview" with not one but two handpicked media members Tom Rinaldi and Kelly Tilghman, in which he once again revealed.....nothing. First of all, I did chuckle at the irony that Woods would choose Kelly "Lynch Him In A Back Alley" Tilghman, as she once was suspended for two weeks for making off-color remarks about him. Overall though, this was just pointless because he still isn't answering any questions. He was asked about Thanksgiving and he gave a b.s. "It's all in the police report" answer, even though it's NOT in the police report. He never talked to the police, nor was any explanation given (blood tests, breathalyzer, etc.) as to why he evaded a DUI. He wasn't asked about the investigation regarding Doctor Anthony Galea, or if he's talked to the FBI during their investigation. He did deny that anybody in his camp was pimping women towards him, even though TMZ and others have reported that the head of his design group Byron Bell was doing exactly that for him. If this latest misstep has proven anything, it's that Woods still hasn't learned a damn thing during this whole saga. He's still a raging dirtball, and will always be one. I have a sickly feeling though, that his ass-lickers are not going to care, and will still look to him as their hero when all the smoke clears.