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Posted by: Bradley McDonald

It's easy to see the Tiger Pride around Baton Rouge these days. With the men's and women's teams advancing to the Final Four, there's a lot to be proud of.

Here's a sample of the way we're feeling down here:

Whether you're from Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Albany or Zwolle, you must be walking a little taller today as your flagship university sends its men's and women's basketball teams to their respective Final Four to compete for a national championship. One need not be an alumnus to feel connected to the amazing triumphs of the LSU Tigers. On weekends like these, Tiger nation extends to every corner of our often fractured state -- a Louisiana in desperate search for reasons to be proud after the events of the past seven months. Without question, LSU's hardcourt success and the positive national press has provided a much needed tonic for Louisiana residents -- and reminded the rest of America that our post-hurricane wounds have yet to heal.

The players and coaches, especially John Brady and Pokey Chapman, have been resilient and inspired us all. A special nod to Collis Temple Jr., who coached the core of this team long before they walked onto the campus.

Native Louisianans and LSU alums across the globe are wearing their purple and gold with pride. And this weekend we'll join to chant LSU, LSU, LSU and watch our Tigers take the court. It is an amazing feat seldom accomplished -- having both your men's and women's teams in the Final Four-- but LSU did it. They have proved anything is possible if you dare to dream, prepare, work together, play hard, play smart and set high goals. We salute the Tiger teams and wish them the best. They are already winners! Go Tigers! (Rolfe McCollister Jr., publisher)

That report was from the publisher of the Greater Baton Rouge Business Report,
who also publishes a Daily Report that sends out news snippets about business in the Baton Rouge area. Today, half of the snippets were about LSU basketball. That should tell you how excited people are around here.

The LSU/UCLA game should turn out to be a hard-fought defensive battle, so don't be surprised if the final score has both teams well below 70. Both teams have been playing intense defense, so if offense is your cup o' tea, you may just want to catch the recap.

My prediction: LSU - 64, UCLA - 59

I won't even venture a guess on the George Mason/Florida game. As all the experts agree that Florida has more talent and should win, but Mason has won four games they should've lost.

Posted by: David Bunch

Is it horrifying how few Christians read reviews before indulging in a movie/DVD? Is word of mouth that accurate when discussing content or do respondents just trust the movie/DVD commercials, ads, ratings system, and box office returns? Is it too hard to get an outside, hopefully independent, evaluation of quality before a movie/DVD is absorbed?

That is just one of the many observations that Ninety and Nine staffers made after mining through the results of this year's Apostolic Media Consumption survey.

I also found it interesting that 67% of the respondents said that they had never listened to a podcast, and 20% do not even know what a podcast is. Podcasting is certainly billed as being more prevalent than that (hello iTunes).

Don't miss this captivating look at how we handle media consumption!

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

We've got quite a battle brewing for our 2nd Annual 90&9 March Madness Pool. My dad, "MonkMcDo", currently sits atop the standings, but he can't get any more points because he has Texas and UNC in the championship game.

Right behind him stands a participant named "jkopecky" who is five points behind. "jkopecky" has LSU winning it all, so even if LSU just makes it to the final game, she will win.

Just recently, the identity of "jkopecky" was revealed to me in an email from Eric Morley:

I played in the basketball pool last year and signed up again this year. I got my girlfriend to do it too. I logged her in and then I showed her each bracket and she would select a winner. I just knew she was going to beat me.

For most of the tournament Janna (jkopecky) has been winning the pool. I just thought you might want to know the story.

Janna only picked 30 games correctly, which is towards the bottom in that category, but she made up a lot of points by correctly picking some major upsets. Sorry to hear your girlfriend beat you, Eric, but I sure hope Janna wins the whole thing!

Lee Ann, our sister blogger from Duct Tape, Dixie, and Me will finish a strong second if LSU wins out. That would be two females in the top two spots. You go, girls!

Posted by: David Bunch

The LSU Women's basketball team is headed to the Final Four after beating Stanford last night.

This is the fourth straight year that a school has had a final four team from both the women and the men! Way to go Tigers.

The pundits are already coming out with predictions about who the champion will be next Monday night. This one from Yahoo Sports is interesting. There is also a web poll that asks who will win it all, and right now LSU has it, but by a slim margin.

I'm thinking it's going to come down to LSU and Florida, and this time the Tigers are going to be ready (Florida has beaten us twice this year).

LSU's intensity level is up and everyone is healthy, so I think we are all set for a much different outcome.

Note to Lee Ann: This can be translated as "LSU does not have a chance. There is no way a Tiger Team will win it all this year".

Posted by: David Bunch

Check out this guy who is one of four who picked the correct final four in ESPN's contest.

Russell Pleasant has some explaining to do.

Such is life when you're one of four out of 3 million contest entrants to pick all the teams in this year's Final Four: LSU, Florida, UCLA and ... George Mason?

George Mason?

Yep, he called it.

That's right, one of four out of 3 million!

Even more interesting is the fact that he picked George Mason accidentally!

"I was filling in my bracket on the job and trying to do it pretty quick," he said. "When I got done, I said, 'Was that George Mason or George Washington?"'

So I guess one could say that sometimes goofing off on the job is not so bad after all!

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

George Mason University proved me and everyone else in the world wrong by beating UConn to advance to the Final Four today! The game was another classic; it took GMU overtime to do it and UConn had a shot at the buzzer that would've won it for them. Every time UConn went on a run, the scrappy boys from George Mason were there to answer. I kept waiting for UConn to pull away, but they never did.

The game didn't look like a fluke, either. UConn didn't give it away with turnovers or sloppy play; the Huskies played a fairly decent game. The Patriots just played a little better, so they became the only 11 seed to make it to the Final Four since, well, the LSU Tigers back in 1986.

I wonder if anyone in the world had George Mason in the Final Four besides a few students that attend the university. Probably not. ESPN claims that out of the 3 MILLION brackets submitted in their bracket challenge, only four people picked the correct Final Four! I bet all four are students at George Mason.

I even had to do a Google search to figure out who George Mason was. Here's what I found out:

The Bill of Rights received a lot of attention during its recent 200th anniversary, but little recognition was given to George Mason, who was the driving force behind the document. Mason (1725-1792) was the author of the 1776 Virginia Declaration of Rights, which the Marquis de Condorcet called "the first Bill of Rights to merit the name." Mason fought against ratification of the United States Constitution because it contained no bill of rights. As a leader of the AntiFederalists, his objections led to the first 10 amendments, which were ratified in 1791.

Mason is relatively unknown among the Founders, but his intellect was renowned as one of the finest in the Colonies. In fact, Thomas Jefferson called Mason "the wisest man of his generation." Fellow Virginian Edmund Randolph added: "He was behind none of the sons of Virginia in knowledge of her history and interest. At a glance, he saw to the bottom of every proposition which affected her." James Madison praised Mason as "a powerful reasoner, a profound statesman, and a devoted republican."

There's your history lesson for the day...free of charge! Tomorrow, we'll look at the probabilities of an 11 seed beating a 6 seed, a 3 seed, a 7 seed, and a 1 seed in a row. I'm betting it's around .000032%.

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

As we like to say down here in Cajun-French accents - "how 'bout dem Tigahs?"

LSU muscled it's way past Texas to reach it's first Final Four since 1986. The game wasn't very pretty offensively and it took overtime to do it, but the Tigers are on their way to Indianapolis to face UCLA for a chance to play in the National Championship Game!

LSU held Texas to 30% shooting for the game, a couple of days after holding Duke to 27%. It seems like it took these boys about half the season to learn how to play defense, but when it finally clicked, their athleticism and tenacity and the defensive end has just been unbelievable.

Earlier in the season, LSU lost close games to good teams and you could see during those games there were times when the players didn't know when to switch off on pick and rolls and when to rotate on defense. But then the young guys (LSU starts three freshman and a sophomore) figured it out and they went 14-2 in the SEC.

Usually guard oriented teams are the ones that go deep into the tournament, but LSU is definitely an anomaly there. Their starting point guard was lost for the season early on, and shooting guard Darrell Mitchell had to take over. He's done a good job, but it's clear he belongs at the two spot. The boys down low are the reason LSU has made it this far. Glen "Big Baby" Davis is a 300 pound big man who has the quick feet of a guard and Tyrus Thomas can jump out of the gym.

They are definitely peaking at the right times and you can tell they are hungry for more. As super sophomore Glen Davis put it, "we've got tapeworms in our stomachs." They are sure playing like they want more.

Geaux Tigers!

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

After some dramatic ball games in the Sweet Sixteen, the Elite Eight is set! It seems like every one of the games in the last round came down to a last second shot, and many of them actually did. Top seeds Villanova and UConn survived, but had to play in overtime to do it.

Here are the Elite Eight matchups (with seeds):

(4) LSU
(2) Texas

(1) Memphis
(2) UCLA

(1) UConn
(11) George Mason

(1) Villanova
(3) Florida

Who doesn't belong? Correct! No. 11 seed George Mason continues it's Cinderella-type run through the big dance, but look for that magic to run out against UConn. All the other games could be decided by a flip of the coin. That's how close these games should be.

Congrats to my dad, who sits atop our bracket pool now. He picked an amazing seven out of the eight teams in the final eight!

Posted by: David Bunch

I feel obligated to defend my honor. Last weekend, Bradley indicated in his blog that I was tied for No 14 in the Ninety and Nine NCAA bracket. The truth is, I was tied for 9th but due to my screen name starting with a "P" (poetus29), I showed up in the No 14 spot. This is important because if I'm No 9 then I can still say I'm in the Top 10. Next year, my screen name will be "AAAAAA". This should help me avoid these embarrassing situations.

Earlier today, I admitted that I have tumbled to second from last, but that it only stings in a minor way due to the home team victory last night. But Lee Ann over at the Duct Tape, Dixie, and Me blog had to get personal by mentioning that I did not have the Tigers going all the way this year in my tournament picks.

The truth is, Lee Ann, you and all Tiger fans should be thanking me. See, last year I did pick LSU to go a long way in the tournament and they fizzled early on. But this year, by not giving them the Bunch-Kiss-of-Death vote, they are on a serious roll. So actually by not picking them to go all the way I really am believing in them....okay, okay...you get my point.

Posted by: David Bunch

It's the Tigers, Baby!!!!

We're feeling pretty good here in Tigerland this morning, after our team beat the Duke Blue Devils last night to progress to the Elite 8. Anytime you win against Duke it's huge, but this one was really sweet because LSU has 3 freshman in the starting lineup, Duke was the overall No 1 seed, and LSU hasn't gotten this far in the tournament since I was 9 years old (1986).

I have always admired Coach Mike K. and his Duke program, and last evening only increased that respect. Even in defeat he carried himself so well, not only shaking LSU Coach John Brady's hand but also saying a few (appeared to be polite) words to him. He also seemed to have congratulatory words for the LSU players, but of course I'm judging that by his expressions only. I contrast that with Texas A&M's coach who did not even look at Brady when the two shook hands last Saturday.

I'm a big fan of people who now how to lose and win gracefully.

The bad news in all of this is that my tournament picks are smashed to kingdom come. I am now only one spot from being dead last in the Ninety and Nine tournament pool. Three of my final four teams are out.

BUT WHO CARES, RIGHT?!!!

Congrats to jkopecky who holds tight to the number one spot, and txdrafter at number 2.

Rounding out the top 5 are Monk (Brad's father), Kent (executive editor of Ninety and Nine), and Bradley himself!!!

Way to go ya'll!

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

They did it! Backed by an amazing defensive performance that held the Blue Devils to 28 percent shooting on the night, the boys from Baton Rouge took out the No. 1 ranked team!

Neither team had very much going on offense, but LSU had a balanced attack that was enough. LSU freshman guard Garrett Temple played an awesome defensive game against JJ Redick, holding the Duke star to 11 points on 3 for 18 shooting. Every time Redick or any of the Duke players got past their defender, LSU had shot-blocking specialist Tyrus Thomas waiting at the goal.

I'm so used to LSU teams of the past who would back down when teams made runs in the second half, but when Duke got up by 5 and started to pull away, the Tigers stepped up. I can't say enough about the defensive play. Anytime you hold a Duke team to 28 percent from the field, it deserves to be mentioned.

Those of us who are big LSU basketball fans have been waiting for a long time to be a prominent player in the national arena and this game might just get us there. We got a taste of what it's like to be a major player on the football field with Nick Saban, but this game is one of the biggest wins in any sport for LSU.

On a side note, I had corrective surgery on one of my eyes today and my eye is still blurry, so it was tough watching the game with one eye. It was tougher to try and sit still, though, as I was directed to do for at least a couple of days. I wanted to jump around and scream, but I settled for pacing behind the couch.

Posted by: David Bunch

We're just about 2 hours away from the tip off of the much anticipated LSU-Duke game. The buzz locally (and from some media outlets as well) is that this is a good match up and will be close.

My prediction? This one will be a nail bighter all the way down the stretch and the final outcome will be decided in the last one minute of play. This means that the team with the best clutch coaching staff will win, thus I give the edge to Duke because Mike K. has been here done this and could do it any day of the week in his sleep.

That being said The Benchwarmer(s) are still yelling:

GO TIGERS!!!!

Posted by: David Bunch

I am always amazed at the life and leadership lessons that can be learned from the sports world, especially basketball.

Zig Ziglar says, "yesterday really did end last night", meaning our mistakes do not have to follow us around-unless we let them. This concept is actually Biblical when you think about what the Psalmist said about God's mercies being new every day.

That said, I found this same amazing attitude on display in J.J. Redick, who spoke to the press about tonight's matchup against LSU.

The Duke star insisted he's not fretting about past failings in the NCAA's round of 16 -- and he's certainly paying no heed to those who say he runs out of steam when the calendar flips to March.

"I can't remember what happened the first three years in the Sweet 16," Redick said Wednesday, sounding downright persuasive heading into an Atlanta Regional matchup against LSU. "Did we lose one of the games or something? I don't know. I can't remember"

Well, here's a quick refresher:

Redick had probably the worst game of his brilliant career against Kansas in the 2003 regional semifinals, managing just five points on 2-of-16 shooting -- including 1-of-11 from beyond the 3-point arc. Last year, the Blue Devils went out at the same point of the tournament against Michigan State, which held Redick to 13 points on 4-of-14 shooting -- equaling his second-worst output of the season and nearly nine below his average.

Even in 2004, when Duke made it to the Final Four,Redick managed just 13 points against upstart Xavier in the regional final.

Coach Mike K. said of Redick's ability to compete:

"If you just focus on J.J., just watch him, you'd be shocked at the maze of things that he usually has to go through to get a shot," coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "When you are doing that, there are times when you can get distracted or get down or get emotional about it, which would take away from your next play. So, one of the key words for J.J. is maturity."

This is the winning attitude that separates the winners from the losers-on the court and in life.

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

You think the people in Peoria, IL aren't fired up about Bradley's first NCAA tournament victory since (approximately) 1685? Check out this article and you'll see why all these upsets are so special.

ESPN has a "pressure gauge" on all the teams in the Sweet Sixteen that's based on the expectations of each program. As you can see, some of the teams left in the bracket are just happy to be this far (ahem...Bradley). Here's a sample from that article of the two teams I'm concerned with.

Duke
Pressure gauge (on a scale of 1 to 10): 10
A ninth straight Sweet 16 berth is in the books, and the Blue Devils still have everything to play for. According to the Duke master plan, the Devils are only one-third of the way through this dance. A Final Four would feel good, but a national title is the only outcome that would feel great. For seniors J.J. Redick and Shelden Williams, failure is not an option.

LSU
Pressure gauge: 5
It took a tremendous clutch shot from Darrel Mitchell just to get the Tigers this far, but now comes the big chance. Beating Duke would make LSU's season and would qualify as the program's biggest victory since it went to the 1986 Final Four as a fairy-tale No. 11 seed. Anything after an upset of Duke would be considered gravy.

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

I am now left with a grand total of one team in my predicted Final Four, after No. 2 seed Ohio State lost to No. 7 seed Georgetown today. That sets up a Sweet Sixteen with a 13 seed (Bradley), an 11 seed (George Mason), and two 7 seeds (Wichita St. and Georgetown).

The parity in this year's tournament seems very abnormal. There are a lot of close games when the seeds should dictate otherwise. Even the 16-1 matchups were close for a while. It makes for some exciting games, but spells trouble when you're trying to predict winners!

Since the rest of my bracket is shot, it's time to give up on cheering for who I picked and begin cheering for a Cinderella (Go Bradley!). I'm still ranked fifth in our 90&9 pool but that should change soon when other people start getting points that I have no hope in getting. The top 5 have been surprisingly consistent so far in our pool, but 90&9's Kent Curry did give up the top spot and now sits at third.

Where is The Bench Warmer's David Bunch, you ask? Well, let me see...better scroll down...ah, there he is! He's made a small comeback and sits in 14th place, as of now. I would make fun of him, but my descent shall be rapid and painful in the upcoming days.

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

Well, a second of my final four teams fell Friday night, as Kansas lost to the Bradley Braves. As much as I like to see a team that honors me with my name on their jerseys, they pretty much crushed any hopes I had of winning our bracket pool.

I received a huge consolation yesterday when LSU beat Texas A&M with a last second three pointer. The Tigers had me worried as they gave up a seven point lead and were down by two with a little over ten seconds left in the game, but senior Darrell Mitchell saved LSU with a shot from way outside! Next up for the Tigers is Duke, the overall No. 1 seed. LSU matches up nicely against the Blue Devils, but they'll have to play a better game than they did yesterday to stay in the game.

As I'm typing this, Bradley has pulled off another upset! They just took out Pittsburgh, the No. 5 seed. We now officially have a Cinderella in the Sweet Sixteen.

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

Just moments ago, Northwestern State, a 14 seed, hit a three pointer with .5 seconds left on the clock to defeat the third seeded Iowa Hawkeyes. Northwestern State is from Natchitoches, Lousiana (pronounced Nack-a-tesh...or something like that), so I should be happy, right? An underdog making Louisiana proud!

Well, I would be happy if I didn't have Iowa in my Final Four! Why hast thou forsaken me, Iowa?! This is not the same team that finished the season with 5 straight wins; two of them over ranked oppenents.

Oh, well. My 4th place standing shall not be in place much longer. Especially since Nevada, whom I had making it to the final eight teams, lost to 12 seeded Montana.

Despite the upsets that have wrecked my bracket, 'tis still fun to watch. My LSU Tigers won last night after a worrying first half. Next up is Texas A&M, also an upset winner over 5th seeded Syracause. I correctly picked that upset (gotta brag while I can).

Posted by: David Bunch

I know an old swingtime song that is a perennial favorite. There are probably multiple versions, but my favorite is by Sinatra. It's called "You Make Me Feel So Young".

You make me feel so young
You make me feel like spring has sprung
And every time I see you grin
I'm such a happy individual....

Today it feels like spring has definitely sprung: here in the sunny south the sun is out, the trees are green, and the flowers are blooming. It's St. Patrick's Day and March Madness is under way. Life is good!

And the seasons are not the only thing that are transforming before our very eyes....the soft winds of change are slowly blowing over at The Benchwarmer(s), too!

What? You didn't catch Bradley's blog from a couple of days ago?

Watch for a major announcement in the imminent future. But I too must say no more.

Blow gently spring wind, blow gently...

Posted by: David Bunch

Congratulations to our top 5 winners in the Ninety and Nine March Madness Pool!

After the first day of action Ninety and Nine's own executive editor, Kent Curry, came out in first place. Who says bookish types aren't into athletics?

The Benchwarmer(s) Bradley McDonald landed at No 3, and his father, "Monk", is ranked No 5.

Rounding out the top 5 are "asvik04" and "jkopecky" at Nos 2 and 4 respectively.

Congratulations again to today's top 5, and remember-there's lots of basketball left to play. May I be so bold as to remind Kent that with a pick like Boston College in the Final Four (who needed 2 overtimes to get it done last night), it's going to be a long slide from first place!

Let me also remind you that you need to email the pool host (Bradley) with your name and alias so we will know who you are (this could be important should you win and need to collect prizes)!

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

It's not too late to get your picks into our March Madness pool. You have until 11:20 AM Central Time to sign up. For those of you who signed up, my user name is bmcdo90. Look for me at the bottom of the standings. I'll reveal my Final Four picks shortly (I'm still debating).

For updated scores throughout the day, go here.

Good luck to all!

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

It was just brought to my attention that ncaasports.com will broadcast live video of every game during the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament for free! As if productivity in the workplace didn't drop enough as it is, now we have to deal with the temptation of actually watching every game!

Thanks to Denelle Burns for the link. (Now, go find me another job, Denelle.)

Speaking of Denelle...The Bench Warmer(s) will be undergoing a renovation in the next few weeks. What kind of renovation, you ask? Ah, I've said too much already, but it will be fun. Stay tuned.

Posted by: David Bunch

Check out Lee Ann Alexander's interview with Kaitlin Johnson over at our flagship webzine Ninety and Nine.

For even more scoop, Lee Ann has the story behind the story on her blog.

Kaitlin, keep eating that burrito in the lunchroom!

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

If you sign up for our Second Annual 90&9 Bracket Pool, please email me your name and username, so I can recognize the leaders each round. I promise I won't make fun of you (unless I know you). Remember, the winner also gets a prize from the 90&9 prize vault. Maybe we have another ski boat in stock?

We will use the "Upset Special" scoring system, which rewards more points for upsets that are picked correctly.

Uses default scoring of 1-2-4-8-12-16, but gives additional bonus points for the first four rounds of one-half times the value of the difference in seeds when the lower seed wins. In other words, correctly choosing an 11 seed to beat a 2 seed in the third round is worth:

4	points (for a third-round correct pick)
+ .5 X 9	(one-half the difference of 11 and 2).
8.5	points

Posted by: David Bunch

Let the games begin! The NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Bracket was announced last night, and that means it's time for March Madness to begin! YESSSSSS!

The great thing about college basketball in general and the Big Dance in particular is at this point anything can happen. Just look at how the season ended. Duke goes on a couple of game losing slide, only to come back and win their conference in a two point win over Boston College last night.

Indiana wins their last 5 out of 6 after Head Coach Mike Davis announces he'll resign after the season is over. They become a No 6 seed and will be playing San Diego State.

And what's this....Bradley a No 13 seed? Bradley, is that you? I know you are the team, dude....but how did you get into the tournament?

There's lots of other news out there concerning the brackets, who's in, who's out, and who will do what.

For your ease of reference here is a printable bracket. And don't forget to sign up and make your pics in the 2nd annual NinetyandNine pool.

I am still mulling my final selections, but unlike our Tournament Pool Host Bradley Mac, I look for Gonzaga to go most of the way this year and J.J. Reddick will catch on fire and take Duke to at least the championship game.

Good luck to all!

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

I went to USA Today's web site to set up our bracket pool today and I was surprised to see an article about the LSU basketball team on the front page of the sports section.

The article talks about how the No. 17 Tigers play six players all from the Baton Rouge area. Most teams have players from all over the country, so it's quite unusual that LSU's top six players are all from the same regional area. These guys have been playing with or against each other since they were youngsters, and that probably has helped them to their 22-7 overall record.

LSU has been playing without 6'9 freshman forward Tyrus Thomas, who has been out with an ankle sprain. Thomas will probably be back for the NCAA tournament, and I sure hope he makes it back because he is a big part of the Tigers' game.

Register Now!
If you want to go ahead and setup a login to our March Madness tournament bracket, the link is here. Once you register, go to the "Join An Existing Pool" sectoin and enter "NinetyAndNine" for the Pool Name and "99" for the password. Remember, the bracket won't be announced until Sunday, so if you register early, be sure to go back after Sunday to make your picks.

Good luck to all!

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

I meant to mention earlier this month that Wendy, of Just A Little Bit Odd fame is back with us for a while in A Month In My Life. It's good to see (read?) you again, Wendy!

Speaking of bloggers, Lee Ann over at Duct Tape, Dixie, and Me gives us a sneak preview of a 90&9 exclusive that will be a part of next week's issue. Should be fun!

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

Get those brackets ready! Some teams have already punched their ticket to the Big Dance by winning their conference tournament.

Last night I watched Loyola Marymount Univeristy come within a missed layup of upsetting No. 4 Gonzaga in the championship game of the West Coast Conference Tournament. The 12-18 Lions gave Gonzaga all they could handle and reaffirmed my belief that Gonzaga is overrated.

Everytime I see or hear about LMU this time of year, I think back to the 1990 season and the story of Hank Gathers. LMU was a running and gunning team that year that averaged a record 122 points a game. They came to LSU and lost 148-141 in overtime in one of the most exciting games I've ever seen.

Later that year, Gathers, who led the NCAA in scoring and rebounding in '89, collapsed during a game and was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital, felled by an existing heart condition.

The Loyola team found motivation from within and went on an inspiring run into the NCAA tournament. The 11th seed made it all the way to the Elite Eight, led by Gather's best friend, gaurd Bo Kimble. It wasn't all the points Kimble scored in leading his squad that people remember, though. It was four free throws he shot.

Kimble promised that he would shoot his first free throw in each game left-handed, in honor of Gathers, who struggled so much with foul shots that he had converted to shooting them left-handed. Bo kept his promise and converted every free throw that he took left-handed, not an easy feat for any right-hander.

I was only 11 years old at the time, but the memory of Kimble sinking a free throw left-handed is one of the most vivid memories of any NCAA tournament. It still gives me chill bumps when I see the replays.

As Dan Levitar wrote, "They couldn't bring him back, so they played with his spirit, and that carried them a little higher, above their despair. It was moving, watching that, mourning death and celebrating life all at once."

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

If anyone had any doubt that Barry Bonds used steroids, that doubt should soon go away. Two San Francisco Chronicle reporters have written a book that contains step for step details on what drugs Bonds used and how he used them. The alleged facts were compiled from grand jury testimony stemming from the BALCO scandal and from eyewitnesses.

Beginning in 1998 with injections in his buttocks of Winstrol, a powerful steroid, Barry Bonds took a wide array of performance-enhancing drugs over at least five seasons in a massive doping regimen that grew more sophisticated as the years went on, according to Game of Shadows, a book written by two San Francisco Chronicle reporters at the forefront of reporting on the BALCO steroid distribution scandal.

(Click here for an excerpt from Shadows, which details Bonds' steroid use. It is also available in the March 13 issue of Sports Illustrated, which hits newsstands beginning on Wednesday. Shadows will be published on March 27.)

The authors, Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams, describe in sometimes day-to-day, drug-by-drug detail how often and how deeply Bonds engaged in the persistent doping. For instance, the authors write that by 2001, when Bonds broke Mark McGwire's single-season home-run record (70) by belting 73, Bonds was using two designer steroids referred to as the Cream and the Clear, as well as insulin, human growth hormone, testosterone decanoate (a fast-acting steroid known as Mexican beans) and trenbolone, a steroid created to improve the muscle quality of cattle.

BALCO tracked Bonds' usage with doping calendars and folders -- detailing drugs, quantities, intervals and Bonds' testosterone levels -- that wound up in the hands of federal agents upon their Sept. 3, 2003 raid of the Burlingame, Calif., business.

It's amazing to me that this book has caused such an uproar in the sports world when it has been evident for years that Bonds has used steroids! I guess this book provides the hard facts that people need before accepting the truth.

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett, who played outfield for the Minnesota Twins for 12 years, died yesterday at the age of 45. Puckett suffered a stroke on Sunday and never recovered after surgery.

Kirby seemed like a joy to be around. It's easy to remember his short legs churning in the outfield as he rocketed toward a deep fly ball, then jumping almost his height to rob someone of a homerun. He would jog in expressionless and toss the ball to an umpire as if someone made that kind of play everyday. His big smile would erupt, though, once he got in the dugout and someone called him a showoff or asked how he did it. You could easily tell he loved life and made it fun for those around him.

From Jayson Stark at espn.com:

In the 12 seasons Kirby Puckett brightened the big leagues with his magical presence, 96 different men made it to home plate wearing the uniform of the Minnesota Twins.

But 95 of those men merely played for the Twins.

Kirby Puckett was the Twins.

As we think back now on The Puck Years, we kind of remember Jack Morris as a Twin. And Kent Hrbek, Gary Gaetti, Frank Viola -- they were all in there somewhere, too.

But they were just best-supporting actor nominees to that 5-foot-8 leading pudgeball who made those Twins go. And made them laugh. And, most of all, made them win.

It was Kirby Puckett's world. Everyone else in town was just grateful he handed out plenty of tickets for the ride.

When you thought of the Twins of the late 1980s and early '90s, the same image seemed to be stuck in your head.

You thought of that little chubmeister center fielder of theirs, making all those plays he had no business making, cranking out 200-hit seasons as though he was Ty Cobb.

Stark also recalls this story:

In the top of the 11th inning of a tie game with Toronto, he singled off Blue Jays closer Duane Ward. A moment later, Ward wheeled and fired a quick pickoff attempt that sailed right by startled first baseman John Olerud, kicking off a game-winning four-run inning.

So why, you ask, did Olerud not notice that pickoff throw flying in his direction? He was too busy talking to his good buddy, Kirby Puckett. Why else?

Then again, of course he was. There was no greater treat in the life of any player than to get to spend a moment, however brief, chatting it up with Puck. Because you always walked away with a grin the size of Lake Minnetonka.

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

March has descended upon us with a flurry and you know what that means!

Yes, the Second Annual 90&9 March Madness Bracket Competition will be held in the upcoming weeks, so start studying now! The bracket for the NCAA basketball tournament will be announced March 12, and I will post details shortly after that about where and how to sign up for the competition.

With the Dukies losing last night and playing many close games lately, my early pick to win it all is Villanova. I reserve the right to change it at any time, though. What team is your number one pick right now? I'm curious to know how many people are still on Duke's wagon.

Here's a good place to start studying for the bracket. Don't worry. If you don't feel like studying, you can pick winners based on favorite mascot or color. There are plenty of methods available to make those of us who follow college basketball feel dumb, because those methods usually prevail. That's why it's called madness!

I'll also see what the prize vault at 90&9 has in it for the winner. I think we just gave away the Mercedes and the ski boat, but I'll see what else I can find.

And now I bring you baseball...
The NCAA isn't the only tournament happening in March. Today marks the beginning of the World Baseball Classic. Sixteen countries from around the world will compete in a tournament-style format to see who is the real "World Champion." There are a lot of MLB players participating, but you'll probably be surprised at how good the lineups are for some of the other countries. Check out the Dominican Republic, in particular.