Michael and Scottie Who?

Things look up in Chi-town (unless you're a Cubbie). The new bandwagon to jump on, believe it or not, is a first-round upset with the Bulls over the Heat. I mean, why not considering this tear they're on? I remember looking at the standings when the Bulls were 29-39 and thinking "oh well, another losing season." Little did I know they would go 12-2 to finish the season and push into the playoffs. A bit of trivia I didn't even know was pointed out by Marc Stein in his playoff power rankings, "With absolutely zero fanfare -- I honestly can't remember hearing anybody mention this -- Chicago has climbed all the way back to No. 1 in the league in field-goal defense, allowing opponents just 42.6 percent shooting from the floor. Ranking No. 1 for two straight seasons, in a category coaches treasure, is an achievement in itself." That's definitely the mentality of the "new" Bulls that I like so much, the tenacity and scrappiness on defense and just playing hard (as evidenced by how many big comeback wins they had this year). Although I don't expect them to win, I think it'll be a fun series to watch and they will make it competitive.
Even more promising is the future. The draft pick they stole from New York for Eddy Curry is absolutely monstrous considering they will most likely draw the #1 overall pick in a year they made the playoffs. (I don't know how they put up with Isiah Thomas in NY.) In addition, they unload a couple big contracts in the offseason, particularly Tim Thomas, and will have plenty of salary cap space to make a run at a big-name player. Could you imagine netting an all-star alongside the top draft pick in the thick of this young, talented team? I'm honestly drooling just thinking about it. Oh, and Jerry Krause is long gone so he can't screw it up (I still miss Elton Brand). I give them 3 years to be in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Point of Interest: ESPN used a player value formula to rank every player and the Bulls were the only team not to have anyone in the top 50. In fact, their highest ranked player was Andres Nocioni at No. 63. Ever heard of him? I didn't think so. The young core of Luol Deng (better than I thought), Chris Duhon (a point guard who plays like a vet), and Ben Gordon (he only went 9 for 9 behind the arc the other night!) will grow together and overcome their lack of size down low. Throw in Captain Kirk and we've got a legit conteder, kids!

Tying Up the Loose Ends

First of all, I'll apologize for the lack of coverage for the NCAA's (this was mostly due to the fact I knew nothing about the Final Four teams). Regardless, it's time to wrap up a few events I had intented to follow more closely.

World Baseball Classic

I, like every other sportsfan, underestimated the Asians. I was so caught up on Latin America that it was easy to count out the little guys (no pun intended). On paper Japan looked like one of the weaker teams in the WBC but proved that anything can happen in baseball and fundamentals can triumph over raw power. The Dominicans strength failed them, Team USA looked downright disappointing at times, and Cuba's inexplicable success once again put them in the final, but none of this was really unexpected. If nothing else, despite the lack of 'drama,' I think the WBC is here to stay and I actually look forward to it again in a couple years.

NCAA Tournament

So only 4 out of over 3,000,000 brackets submitted to ESPN's Tourney Challenge picked the correct Final Four. And I assume they all lived in the Virginia area to have put their hopes on George Mason. Aside from the one Cinderella story, the tournament just seemed to lack something--possibly we simply missed the Big XII and Big Ten. Oh well, that game-winning shot over Iowa made up for everything. HA!
The results from the Tourney Challenge:

T-1) Denisek
T-1) Port
3) Alberty
4) Top Seeds
T-5) Guiter
T-5) Fischer
7) Casady
8) Kassel
9) Williams

* Every year I wish it just ended after the first two rounds because I swear I'm always leading at that point because I have a knack for picking the 1st-round upsets. And nothing is worse than losing to that old woman (or Slowpitch) who filled in their bracket by just picking the top seeds.

Baseball Opening Week

-Cleveland looked good against the defending champs
-Rollins hitting streak done at 38
-AL East looks subpar
-NL Central looks like toughest in the majors
-Mets are winning as expected
-Pitchers turned sluggers in Arroyo/Sosa/Mulder
-Beware the power of the Tigers
-The Royals are in the cellar where they belong

MORE TO COME...