NCAA May Expand to 96 teams

According to Jim Delany, the Big Ten Commissioner, the NCAA men's basketball tournament will probably expand to 96 teams. The NCAA will have a meeting on April 29th to discuss this further. The decision to possibly add more teams was mainly based on money. If this goes through, it would likely spell the end for the NIT.

Raiders Appear to Be in the Lead to acquire McNabb

The Raiders appear to be the front runner for obtaining Donovan McNabb. The Eagles apparently want a high draft pick in exchange for him. McNabb has repeatedly stated that he wants to stay in Philadelphia. He currently has one year left on his deal. The team claims they might trade him away, but only for the right price.

I believe trading Donovan away would be a mistake for the Eagles. McNabb is a proven winner. He has done a lot for this team. He has lead them to the playoffs multiple times. He's broken many Eagles passing records and he's played in a couple of NFC Championship games. At age 33, there's no doubt that Donovan can still be an effective quarterback for the next couple of years. For most of his career, he's had to play with an average supporting cast. Now that the Eagles have finally brought in some talent, they're thinking about trading him. This is rather unfortunate.

If the Eagles do decide to trade him, whoever replaces him would be expected to win right away. McNabb has set the bar really high with all that he's accomplished. The person most likely to replace McNabb if he's traded is Kevin Kolb. Kolb is a good player. He has shown some potential while on the field. The question is how effective Kolb would be while playing a full season. I doubt that at this stage in his career if he is as good as McNabb. Kolb would be under a lot of pressure to produce right away. The Eagles would probably be better served to keep McNabb.

Elite 8 is narrowed down to Final Four

The March Madness teams that played this weekend did not disappoint. For the first time in a while, their were no teams that got blown out this weekend. Every game that was played over the weekend had a close score. The teams that advanced this weekend and will play in the Final Four are Duke, West Virginia, Butler and Michigan State. Any one of these teams have the ability and talent to play in the National Title game on April 5.

The first team that advanced this weekend was Butler. They defeated Kansas State 63- 56. This is Butler's first appearance in the Final Four. Many people consider this team to be mid majors. Whatever people decide to call them, we just have to acknowledge how good this team is. They can score at will against any team. It's no surprise to me that they're on a long game-winning streak. Next Saturday, they play Michigan State. If Butler gets on one of their shooting streaks, Michigan State will be in for a long day.

The next team to advance to the Final Four is West Virgina. They won against Kentucky 73-66. It's was West Virginia's 3 point shooting in the first half that kept them in the game. In fact, all of their made field goals came from behind the arc during the first half of the game. Kentucky didn't make their first three point field goal until late in the game. Also, Kentucky had a hard time defending West Virginia's offense. This was the first team in this tournament that Kentucky didn't dominate. The pressure of trying to win this game may have taken it's toll on this young team. It just seemed like they struggled all game with their offense and defense. Next week West Virginia plays Duke. It could be one of those games in which the team that makes defensive stops wins.

Michigan State was the next team to advance. They beat a very good Tennessee team 70-69. The Spartans have found a way to win despite many of their key players being injured. The Spartans are familiar with being in the Final Four. This will be the second consecutive time they've advance this far. Somehow someway they just keep hanging in there until finally they pull through and win. Next week, they play Butler.

Duke is the last team to advance to the Final Four. They defeated Baylor 78-71. It was the clutch three point shooting of Nolan Smith and John Scheyer that contributed to Duke's victory. Duke also was able to get some offensive rebounds which helped in them getting the win. When this team is on a roll offensively, they're very hard to beat. It's important to note that this team plays great defense too. Time and time again, their defense made crucial stops. Duke had shown us why they are deserving of their number one seed. They will play West Virginia next week.

At this point, it's hard to choose the team will win this weekend. After both Kansas and Kentucky lost, it's been difficult determining which team will become tournament champions. The team that consistently scores and defends the best will likely win the tournament. All four teams are good enough to win. The games being played this weekend are exciting and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens.

Gilbert Arenas Won't Serve Any Jail Time

Current Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas won't be serving any jail time for the weapons violation charge. Honestly, I'm very surprised by the ruling of the judge. I thought that Gilbert would at least serve a few months in jail. Arenas will be on probation and will also have to do some community service. Gilbert has been given a chance to redeem himself. I really hope that he takes full advantage of this opportunity that was generously given to him.

NFL Owners Approve of a New OT Format

By a vote of 28-4, the NFL owners today agreed to a new format for overtime during the playoffs. The new rules for overtime could be considered the "Brett Favre Rules" since many feel it was the loss he had against the Saints during the playoffs that brought forth this change.

The playoff overtime rule changes are as follows:

1.The first team to score a touchdown wins.
2.If a team kicks a field goal and the other team scores a touchdown, then the team that scored the touchdown wins.
3. If both teams score a field goal, then the next team that scores wins.
4.If the defense scores a touchdown or safety, their team wins.

I like the proposed new overtime changes for the playoffs. It would be a great idea for these rules to apply to regular season games as well.

Roger Godell wants to meet with Ben Roethlisberger

NFL Commissioner Roger Goddell wants to meet with Ben Roethlisberger about the recent charges the quarterback is facing. If found guilty, the commissioner could suspend Roethlisberger for a few games. This is the second time that Ben has been accused of having an inappropriate sexual exchange with a woman. I hope that the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback learns from this situation. He has to understand that putting himself in these situations will only create more problems. Not only does his decisions impact him, but they impact his friends, family and teammates. Hopefully, everything will work out for all the people involved with this matter.

President Obama Officially Signs Health Care Bill

Today President Barack Obama signed the health care reform bill into law. This is an historic day in American history. Now everyone in this country can finally get access to health care. This bill is important because it could save the lives of many people who are critically ill. Once this bill is fully put into effect, people won't have to worry about fully paying for any health coverage they need. The insurance companies will provide some financial coverage as well. Even though this bill passed, we still will need cooperation from these health insurance companies. They need to do their best to make sure that their customers are getting the best from them. The 32 million people out there who are uninsured can now feel some relief knowing that they will get the coverage they deserve.

House Passes Health Care Bill

The House has decided to pass the health care bill which is a huge victory for President Barack Obama. Now it's the Senate that has to pass the bill. Once this happens, Barack Obama can officially sign it making it official. This bill is important because it will provide insurance coverage to 32 million Americans who don't have it. It would also make it illegal for insurance companies to deny anyone coverage because of a pre-existing condition. Apparently ,the plan is have to the cost of this bill mostly paid for by people with an income of at least $250,000 a year as well as through Medicare reimbursements to doctors and hospitals.

Overall this is a good idea. There are too many people living in this country without health insurance. Many people want the coverage, but they just cannot afford it. Now these people have a chance to get the coverage they need. This is a big step in the right direction. Anyone living on this planet should be given access to affordable quality health care.

Even though I think this plan is a good idea, I do have some concerns. By requiring everyone to have health care, it seems as though we are giving these health insurance companies more customers, which in turn will make them more money. I wonder if these companies are truly going to provide better coverage for all of us after this bill passes or are they going to stick to their old ways. Another concern I have is that this bill does deny the right for anyone to chose whether or not they want health care. People should still have the right to choose if they want health care or not. There are many who out there who don't like dealing with doctors because they can at times appear more concerned about giving patients medications and services they don't need and then charging them for it.

Despite the concerns I have, I think this bill is a good idea. There is obviously a demand for health care from the majority of Americans. Too many people have been reluctant in the past to seek health care because of the high cost. Some people were denied because they had a pre- existing condition. This bill will hopefully solve these problems. The doctors and insurance companies should try their best to genuinely help people. Doctors need to do their best to accurately assess what is wrong with a patient and refrain from providing any service the customer doesn't need. Insurance companies should fully pay the cost of the health bill no matter the price. They will put people's minds at ease by doing this. Hopefully when all of this bill is put into law, it will improve the health of all Americans.

Michael Jordan Has Become Majority Owner of Bobcats

Michael Jordan has made history by becoming the first former player to become majority owner of an NBA team. I think this is a great idea for many reasons. First off, this decision will draw more publicity to this team. People will go to the games solely because Jordan owns it. The second reason this is a good decision is because it will bring more enthusiasm to the Bobcats locker room. It looks like the players really like Jordan. We have seen on several occasions where Jordan has joined the players during practice. Jordan is better suited as an owner versus being a general manager. As an owner, Jordan doesn't have to be as involved with drafting players and making personnel decisions. He can hire someone to do that. Jordan has brought more good fortune to the city of Charlotte. This is a young team that is definitely on the rise. With Jordan involved with this team, I can only imaging things only getting better.

Mississippi State Should Be In the Tournament

The NCAA committee should have put Mississippi State in the tournament. This team has a good overall record. On top of that, they twice took Kentucky into overtime. It would have been fun to see this team playing in the field of 65. Hopefully the NIT will invite them to play in their tournament.

Sell Your Texbooks and Make Some Money

If you're trying to make some extra money, then I recommend that you try selling your books to Cash4Books. Personally, I have made some money selling my books to them. They offer free shipping and you pay no fees. You can also become an apart of their affiliate team. As an affiliate member, you will be provided a link. If anyone clicks on your link and sells their book to them, you will make $5.00.

To begin the process of selling your books to Cash4Books, please click on the link:
www.cash4books.net/index.php?ref=159754

or

You can click on the Cash4Books.net image link located to the right of this screen.

Good luck to all you and I hope money comes your way from any books you decide to sell.

NCAA Considering Expanding March Madness

The NCAA is considering expanding the tournament from 65 teams to 96 teams. While some people think this is a good idea, I believe it's a bad idea. I'm a big believer in if it's not broke then don't fix it. The tournament is fine the way it is. The NCAA is probably thinking about doing this because they feel it will bring them more money. While it may generate revenue, it would put teams on the court with average to less than stellar records. I seriously doubt if anyone would watch the games of the teams ranked 66th or lower. Another thing to consider would be the effect it would have on the NIT. If the NCAA were to expand to 96 teams, then the NIT would risk having teams with really bad records playing. This would really hurt their revenue. Everything should be kept the way it is. It's currently a good system that doesn't need to be tinkered with.

Great Weather has Arrived Again

It's good to finally get normal weather again. After dealing with so much snow, it's a relief to experience warm weather. I can finally rest my snow shovel and snow scraper fully knowing that winter is over. Spring is definitely here and I hope it stays around longer than this winter. I look forward to more great weather.

Hip Hop Star Guru Recovers From Health Scare

Hip hop legend Guru is recovering from a heart attack he suffered a few days ago. This is certainly good news for his family, friends and the hip hop community. His doctor said that he believes Guru will fully recover. Once he fully recovers, I hope he comes out with another great album. It's good to see a person like him, who has done so much, pull through something like this. I wish him well as he continues to battle through this situation.

NFL Combine

Every year invited college players from all over the country participate in this event called the NFL combine. The combine allows these players to showcase some of their athletic skills. Some of the tests include a 40 yard dash and a vertical jumping test. The tests are very important because many NFL teams use them in determining the draft status of these players. It's always good to physically evaluate players that teams are planning on drafting. Whenever money and jobs are on the line, it is always important to make sure that teams look at as much of a player as possible.

Even though the combine is good in many ways, there are some concerns. First, I think that many teams put too much into the combine. One of the best ways to judge a player is by seeing what the player did while on the field. If a player can dominate on the collegiate level, then they have a chance to succeed in the NFL. It's okay to evaluate the players in Indianapolis as long as the players are being evaluated in pads and helmets as well. Another concern I have is that some of these scouts are asking questions that have nothing to do with football. Asking players about things such as their sex life or what type of women they like should be prohibited. This has nothing to do with football and has no place anywhere in a professional setting like the Combine.


Overall, the Combine is good for potential prospects. It gives NFL prospects a chance to show what they can do in certain drills. These drills can help a player rise in the draft. As long as what these athletes did on the field is viewed with just as much importance as the drills, I don't have any problem with this. Anyone asking these players questions should be professional. No player should be asked anything that will make them feel uncomfortable. As long as these players and scouts want the combine to continue, then it should keep taking place.

Iverson Is Done for the Season

Allen Iverson, according to reports, is done playing for the 76ers this season. Apparently he is taking care of his daughter who is ill. I hope his daughter has a great recovery from this illness. I respect Iverson for taking time away from the game to tend to his daughter. There's no doubt in my mind that he misses playing basketball. I'm sure if it wasn't for his daughter being ill, he would be on the court trying to help his team. He made the right decision by taking care of his child. Family always comes first.