With toenails trimmed, our new-look NCAA live chat is a go!
TV or not TV, that is the question. Or something like that. (Photo and pedicure by yours truly)
I’ll have you know that I clipped my toenails just for this. (I even thought about putting polish on them. Then I realized I don’t really know how that’s done.) And clipping my toenails is, for this correspondent, an experience fraught with trauma.
On Sept. 25, 1997, I had taken a shower and repaired to the bedroom to clip my toenails. The deed done, I walked into the bathroom to return the clippers in question to their assigned drawer. I slipped on a wet spot and shattered my right kneecap into seven asymmetrical shards. I was on crutches until January. To this day, I have no right kneecap.
But I digress. I worked up my nerve and clipped my toenails because I didn’t want to appear all scraggly for our new-look NCAA tournament Day 1 live chat. As you can see, we have a new TV. The old one in the den stopped working last summer. (Although the old one in the den wasn’t nearly as old as the one featured in previous NCAA live chats. That one still runs like a charm.)
OK, enough about me. The Big Dance starts in earnest today, though it would be tough to top the doings in Dayton on Tuesday: Western Kentucky trailed by 16 points and won; BYU trailed by 25 points and won. To invoke Dickie V.: Are you serious?
First up today is Murray State-Colorado State. The Racers are, depending on your slant, either wildly underrated or overrated. Then comes Kansas State (overrated) against Southern Miss (underrated). Then Wisconsin (overrated) against Montana (dunno). That’s pretty fair fare for the first afternoon, I’d have to say.
And now it’s over to you. I’ll keep going until 4 p.m. or so, and I’d appreciate the company. And if anybody out there knows how to program these newfangled TVs, please sing out.
By Mark Bradley
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186 comments Add your comment
Ron in Vegas
March 15th, 2012
1:18 pm
Colorado St. leading at the half is no fluke. They are a pain in the rear end for anyone that they play and they had a good year in the Mountain West Conference beating UNLV, SDSU, and UNM.
cousin vicker
March 15th, 2012
1:20 pm
Actually, speaking of the First Four, it’s taken a lot of the fun out of picking brackets for me. I just can’t envision myself ever going “Well the winner of this First Four game is definitely going to the sweet sixteen, regardless of who wins!”
Mark Bradley
March 15th, 2012
1:23 pm
But VCU did just that, Cousin Vicker.
phil
March 15th, 2012
1:23 pm
KS’s crazy coach will now come totally unglued and attack an innocent fan….that guy makes Bobby Knight look like a kindly arts patron…
phil
March 15th, 2012
1:24 pm
cousin vicker isn’t interested in facts….
Old Timer
March 15th, 2012
1:26 pm
And you think you’re screwed? My bracket has Kansas and Missouri playing for the national championship.
cousin vicker
March 15th, 2012
1:27 pm
I know, that’s my point. So basically I would have to have a bracket that said “VCU/FSU” winner in the Final Four. Not necessarily VCU, but the VCU/FSU winner. That’s just not March Madness.
Mark Bradley
March 15th, 2012
1:29 pm
Murray has it going. Scores first seven points of the half.
Dale Murphy (No, not that one)
March 15th, 2012
1:29 pm
Murray State starting to open it up. I have them losing in the Great 8.
phil
March 15th, 2012
1:31 pm
Fire FG!!
cousin vicker
March 15th, 2012
1:31 pm
Correction : VCU played USC in the First Four game. but my point remains the same.
Dale Murphy (No, not that one)
March 15th, 2012
1:34 pm
Blood, sweat and tears for Murray State.
Mark Bradley
March 15th, 2012
1:34 pm
Southern Cal went on to have one of the worst years in the history of the game. Went 6-26.
Paul in NH
March 15th, 2012
1:37 pm
I’ll take your 6-26 and raise you a 4-23 (with a 51-74 loss to a Division II school on St. Valentine’s Day)
phil
March 15th, 2012
1:38 pm
What are the current game scores?
Bill
March 15th, 2012
1:39 pm
I have the Racers winning today and losing to Missouri.
Ron in Vegas
March 15th, 2012
1:39 pm
On another note, it looks like the Bills are about to announce the signing of Mario Williams. What’s going on over at Flowery Branch?????
Dale Murphy (No, not that one)
March 15th, 2012
1:41 pm
The last 8 NCAA champions had the color blue in their uniforms.
Dale Murphy (No, not that one)
March 15th, 2012
1:43 pm
My pick Kentucky will make it 9 blue teams.
George
March 15th, 2012
1:45 pm
I’m not so sure about including the toenail thing as a starter for this article. When you’ve completely run out of things to do, cut the cuticles (on your fingers) with an double edge razor. I urge caution and a good pair of reading glasses. Missouri wins it all this year.
phil
March 15th, 2012
1:45 pm
Nothing is going on at Flowery Branch other than the usual…
Which is to say we won’t be winning any super bowl anytime soon, or even a single playoff game.
Andy
March 15th, 2012
1:51 pm
Murray St. has woken up it appears.
Metro Coach
March 15th, 2012
1:57 pm
This also my dogs’ favorite time of the year. The big one gets to lay in the house with me all day, her favorite thing to do, and the smaller one gets to lay in the sun on the back patio, come inside and drink half a gallon of water, and go back out and lay in the sun again, with me as his personal doorman. If thereis such a thing as reincarnation, I want to come back as some family’s Golden Retriever or Lab.
Mark Bradley
March 15th, 2012
2:00 pm
Davidson now ahead of Louisville. Southern Miss is also up.
Mark Bradley
March 15th, 2012
2:02 pm
I think the Falcons were more concerned with trying to keep players than in buying a big name.
Andy
March 15th, 2012
2:04 pm
Is that arena really called the KFC Yum! Center? Seriously?
get ready
March 15th, 2012
2:04 pm
csu has 20 turnovers in the game, and 10 pts in the 2nd half. defense wins championships!
Metro Coach
March 15th, 2012
2:04 pm
Hello Jen Hildreth, nice addition to the sideline reporter squad.
get ready
March 15th, 2012
2:05 pm
Yum Brands owns KFC
get ready
March 15th, 2012
2:06 pm
Jen is an emory grad
phil
March 15th, 2012
2:07 pm
Trying to keep players….
the same players that can’t do a thing but embarass themselves come playoff time.
sad.
Rickster
March 15th, 2012
2:10 pm
Just checked my bracket. Haven’t missed one yet!
Mark Bradley
March 15th, 2012
2:12 pm
Weird. Three teams from Kentucky are playing in Louisville’s arena today. But not Louisville, which had a 10:40 a.m. start in Portland.
KenDawg
March 15th, 2012
2:12 pm
Murray State a lock.
Mark Bradley
March 15th, 2012
2:13 pm
Yep. Yum is KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell
Mark Bradley
March 15th, 2012
2:15 pm
Louisville leads 22-16. Murray is cruising.
Rickster
March 15th, 2012
2:15 pm
Plus Long John Silvers.
Yum!
Rickster
March 15th, 2012
2:17 pm
And (I think) A&W (which sells more than just root beer.)
ClemsonBrad
March 15th, 2012
2:18 pm
Mark, looks like I spot a Wii remote under the TV….you playing some Mario GoKart at halftime?
Old School
March 15th, 2012
2:23 pm
Mark, just saw where Stansbury resigned at Mississippi State. Can’t help but wonder if was forced out.
Mark Bradley
March 15th, 2012
2:24 pm
The daughters like the Wii. Just Dance.
Andy
March 15th, 2012
2:25 pm
Dumbest name ever for an arena. Remember back in the good old days when stadiums and areanas were named after important and influential people. Now we name them Yum!. Sad.
Mark Bradley
March 15th, 2012
2:26 pm
Rick Stansbury might have been the worst game coach in the country.
And I’m sure he was pushed. AD Scott Stricklin is from Painstsville, Ky. He cares about basketball.
Bill
March 15th, 2012
2:27 pm
Racers win.I ma 1-0.Mark can I just quit here?
Andy
March 15th, 2012
2:29 pm
Mark
I do like your new TV. Dare I ask if you have HD?
Mark Bradley
March 15th, 2012
2:30 pm
I’ll admit the Yum Brands Arena does not resonate like Freedom Hall.
ClemsonBrad
March 15th, 2012
2:30 pm
Stansbury had a ridiculous amount of talent this year for a SEC that was pretty average after Kentucky, Florida, and Vandy….So glad Clemson didn’t get him two years ago.
phil
March 15th, 2012
2:30 pm
Fire Rick Stansbury!!
ClemsonBrad
March 15th, 2012
2:32 pm
Stansbury had a ton of talent this year in a SEC conference that was pretty average after Kentucky, Florida, and Vandy. I’m with you Mark…TERRIBLE in-game coach.
Greg
March 15th, 2012
2:32 pm
That jurrjens did great today. Fool Bradley thinks the braves will win the wild card. Haha They will be lucky to win 75 games.