Jupiter, FLA. – One weekend of the tournament down and two more to go before the madness concludes.
It was just over a week ago when the tournament selection show took place and all the talking heads were saying it was a wide open field and we will have upsets galore on the way to a new national champion.
Despite what you have been told and led to believe, it just isn’t so. Cinderella is a fantasy. Sure, there will be teams that upset a big boy in the early rounds, but seldom is David around to slay Goliath the next weekend.
You see getting to the next weekend is hard, real hard. St. Louis University has never done it … EVER. Missouri has done it once since Norm Stewart left in 1999, and that was three coaches ago. Too many things have to go right to get to the next weekend.
So why does everyone give you the impression that anyone can be? Easy answer, it’s a better story. It gives you the impression that this is what college basketball is truly about, the student athlete and apple pie and all that stuff. Meanwhile, the NCAA is busy counting hundreds of millions that they elect not to share with the student-athletes.
The money schools walk away with each game means a lot to the conference, as in is a six-figure check for every game played. This big business on and off the court. Everyone likes a winner, including high school seniors and their families, and the universities know this.
As for the ones who have a shot, let’s be clear here. This is about the big boy conferences. This year is no different, as of the 16 schools still alive, 12 of them have been to the Final Four within the last 25 years. There are few who back into the Final Four. For those who do, their lives are never the same as one of two things happen. You either start the tradition and all of a sudden try to figure out how to hold onto your coach, or you lose him to a bigger school from a bigger conference and are never to be heard from again.
This would apply most recently to Virginia Commonwealth and their coach Shaka Smart and the guy who coached Florida Atlantic last year, had a fun run in the tournament and then left to coach at USC. See what I mean? We already forgot about them.
Leave the emotion out of it and just enjoy the big boys playing their games and watch everyone else hope for playing one more game in one more weekend next year.
Cardinal time
The first edition of the 2014 Cardinals is now set. After some off-season moves and a full spring of reasonably good health, this is a better team that played in the 2014 World Series.
The Red Birds are better at shortstop with Jhonny Peralta. Kolten Wong has had a more than solid spring at second base this spring, and Matt Carpenter has settled back into his original position at third. The outfield without Carlos Beltran is in good shape as Allen Craig will get a bulk of the work there. His bat will be counted on like last year when it comes to producing runs.
There is more speed, as Wong and newcomer Peter Borjous will certainly stand out. Borjous, who came from Anaheim as part of the David Freese deal, has great speed. If he stays healthy, he will be a big factor in the Cardinal offense.
Where are the African-American players? The Cardinals have lagged behind in developing African-American players, but this year three were in camp most of the spring.
First baseman Xavier Scruggs hit 29 home runs in class AA last year. He has shown good power, but needs more work in the minors.
Joey Butler, in his first year in the organization, was battling for a spot in an already crowded outfield. He too will need work in the minors before he is ready for the big show.
Sam Freeman has seen action with the Cardinals over the last two seasons and is very close to being here for good. Freeman will have to work on just a couple of elements of his game in order to be here for good. With two lefthanders in the bull pen, finding a consistent role would have been difficult.
There are others who are emerging in the minors. The Cardinals will need to make some decisions about who will be going and who will be staying soon.
Over the course of the season, this roster will change because of injury and declining and emerging skill levels. Cardinal General Manager John Mozeliak is a believer in how your team looks late in the year, as it is all about the post-season for a team that is considered one of the best in the game. Good health and luck should see the Cardinals win the division. What happens in post-season is too hard to predict, as luck plays heavy into the equation.
