The Madness Begins!!!!!!!

NCAAM

It's here! It's time to celebrate the wondrous season that is March Madness! Get ready! Get pumped! “The Big Dance” is on the horizon. Forget prom, it’s time for college basketball’s postseason. In the next few weeks, young men will captivate us with their mental and physical fortitude by playing a kid's game on a national stage. Teamwork will shine and stars will be born. As for the fans… well, we will go wild. I can’t wait.

For those of us who are basketball fans, we get to watch an exciting finish, after exciting finish, after exciting finish. Nothing in basketball beats a close finish. It’s where players scratch and claw their way into saving their season, and for some, their basketball careers. With the time winding down every additional possession weighs heavily. You’d expect some cracking under pressure, but the opposite takes over: gutsy, unbelievable basketball. It’s what matriculates when teams lay it all on the line. As a result, the amount of neck-and-neck games THE tournament produces is astounding.

This year expect no different. Citing the Men's Warehouse, "I guarantee it!" Anyone who's watched the dance knows that frenetic finishes take over. It's freakish to see that every time a big three is needed, the prayer is answered. It is the anti-Murphy's Law--what can go right will go right. Why? It's March Madness! The best explanation I can muster is that March Madness's reason for existence is to promote pure excitement. This edge-of-your-seat-drama is not only a requirement; it’s an addiction. Why else would people call in a sick-day to watch a bunch of kids play a sport? Why else would I wire a radio through my jacket so I could follow the games in class? Maybe, I’m crazy, but I’m not alone. Luckily for us, down-to-the-wire exciting finishes is what we all will be feasting over beginning this Thursday.

This past week, the conference tournaments blessed us with a sneak preview of the madness. Anyone catch the Ivy League playoff (a buzzer-beater) or Pac-10 championship game (overtime buzzer-beater)? They were nuts! Blood pressure is on the rise and tourney games have barely begun. Sorry NBA, but NCAA is where amazing happens.

As we follow the path into the Madness, don’t forget to stop in Upset City. Yes, the madness has this as well. No sports competition has as many upsets as the madness of March (for you sports newbies: upset = the underdog winning). Consequently, the next few weeks will bring more mood swings than a pregnant woman. Prides will get crushed and self-proclaimed geniuses will surface all because of a little thing called THE BRACKET.

For everyone who cares to participate, ladies, oldies, you name it, the bracket ignites a fun competition along with a plethora of emotions--stress, ecstasy, sadness, etc. The bracket consumes us. You can't deny it. There are two reasons for this: uniqueness and difficulty. When you complete your bracket you will be the only one that you know with that exact bracket. You may happen to share a championship team, or your Final Four will overlap with another's, but no two brackets will match up completely. You will have your very own baby of a bracket, and you'll fall in love. Because of this uniqueness, you will not be judged on how perfect you are (don't worry no one is), but rather how you match up against your family, friends, and/or workplace. Brackets are the definition of a friendly competition that crosses multiple boundaries. Everyone has a chance to win. Doesn't matter if you're a boy, girl, man, woman, or dog. If you have a bracket, you have a shot for glory.

As for difficulty, there is no perfect way to choose your bracket. The Madness is simply too unpredictable. No one is an expert, but everyone is an expert. How you choose your destiny is up to you and only you. You can "play it safe" and go with all the high seeds, or you can roll the dice by going by your favorite numbers, by favorite colleges, by mascot, by names, or even choose by who you think is the best looking (It's true, I've seen a "beauty bracket" before). Despite how hard you study or how much you think you know, you undoubtedly will be wrong somewhere. The impossible difficulty of predicting a correct bracket makes it challengingly fun. You can be completely wrong and no one will care. However, if you're right (relatively)--bragging rights for the next year along with whatever rewards come in your prize pool.

Normally I would release some sort of predictions for the playoffs. Oh no, not here. In March Madness it's sacrilege to release your picks before the tourney starts. (You must protect yourself so that no one swoops YOUR picks. The madness necessitates every man, woman, and child for his or herself.) There are also too many match-ups to discuss and too much room for me to make a fool of myself. Instead, I'll save my pompous predictions for just my friends. You’re welcome guys. Time to bring on the MADNESS!!!!

P.S. GO BRUINS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Beautiful Game

International Soccer

In case you’ve been misinformed, soccer is the beautiful game.  Yes, it is better than any other sport on the planet. Why you ask? Let the preaching begin!

Why are soccer goals so rare, yet look so darn beautiful to watch? It's because soccer goals are so difficult to score.  This ain't the NBA where sheer athleticism can carry you past all defenders for a slam dunk.  In soccer, nothing is a layup.  When an ugly goal happens, it's because defensive gaffes bear gifts (or ridiculous luck is involved).  Generally, incalculable coordination is a requirement for soccer goals.  Not only do you have to coordinate playing the ball without your hands, but also you need to navigate through and around ever-changing walls of defenders.  And once you finally get within distance to put up a shot, you must put the ball past a player who uses anything to stop you, including those oh-so-handy hands! Each goal is a result of lots of work--team and individual--and it doesn’t come easily.  The high degree of difficulty is the beauty to soccer’s low scoring affair.  Let's not forget that there are no breaks (except halftime) in soccer.  So, let me break it down for you so that you futbol haters can open your eyes and see what is beautiful.

No sport requires more stamina and conditioning than soccer.  It's basically running for 90 minutes + playing soccer.  There are no breaks after every play like football, or incessant timeouts like basketball.  It is all day running (not to mention limited substitutions).  This is why soccer bodies are so slim.  Any excessive muscle-packing would be detrimental for your stamina.  Some dislike the fact that fitness is one of the most important factors to playing soccer well.  I must disagree with them because stamina is a fair trait to have.  Why? Well, it’s an ability that you as a player can control.  Unless you’re stricken with a health condition that prevents this, stamina is a result of hard work and dedication.  This vital ability is earned instead of born into.  You don't have to be blessed with a 7-foot wingspan to play soccer professionally, but you do have to work at keeping a fit body.  While you always need some luck physically (usually speed) to get to the professional level, in soccer you can carry yourself quite far through simple conditioning.

Balance is another reason why I find soccer the most difficult and fascinating of sports.  Playing with your feet is hard enough, but jostling a player while controlling a ball with the same limbs? No cake-walk here.  In soccer you need to jump between controlling the ball with one foot to balancing yourself on the other (as well as counterbalancing your opponents force).  It ain't easy kids.  The tough balancing act is why so many soccer players hit the deck (when they're not flopping) so easily.  My college roommate once got frustrated watching a soccer game when a player couldn't reach a tough cross.  He said something along the lines of "Lebron James would just reach out and snare that, no big deal."  I responded with “you just don’t get it.”  Lebron's strength of balance would not carry over to soccer.  His balancing ability is used differently, where both feet are always free to jump around a court and, then he uses his hands for ball control.  He's not dancing and ball controlling with the same limbs!

Don't get me wrong; if LBJ had years (since childhood) of soccer practice, I'd want him on my team.  That body would push him past Christiano Ronaldo as the most athletic player in soccer.  Right now, Lebron would get torched at every position (except goalkeeper) because he doesn't have the balance (aka footwork and body control) required to dominate in soccer.  In fact, Kobe Bryant credits playing soccer during his youth for much of his footwork and balance.  How come Lionel Messi at only 5'7" is one of the best soccer players in the world?  It's because his low center of gravity helps him keep his lethal balancing abilities despite suffering a disadvantage in height.  It's great to see a sport where blessed height and size aren't necessarily required.  

Goalkeeper is a different story.  NBA bodies would be ideal for goalkeeping.  They're quick, explosive, and their reach is undeniable.  If he were mentally schooled in the position, I'd nominate Durantula for the U.S. Soccer team's keeper.

You can also do well because of your intelligence.  Soccer is a far more intelligent game than people (Americans) give it credit for.  In their defense, it's hard to see the intricacies of soccer unless you’ve played it for years or religiously watch it (playing FIFA helps too).  Like baseball, it may seem boring unless you can observe the games within the game.  The multiple dimensions of soccer make it such a brain game.  You can attack down the gut, up the sidelines and cross, go aerial, etc.  You can defend with pure strength, different formations, offside traps, etc.  And those are just team options, forget talking about the infinite possibilities of individual defense and offense (scissors, nutmeg, 360, stepover, rainbow, etc.) There are almost too many creative options in a game that's so free flowing.  This makes the game very difficult to master.  Also, you can't rely on your coach to call plays for you.  Because of the speed of the game, defensively and offensively as a player you need to constantly make up your own mind--no crutches to lean on (except a shouting, usually inaudible coach from the sidelines).  Do you know why set-pieces (aka free kicks) are the most dangerous (for scoring) in soccer?  It’s because teams are able to practice set-pieces with specific plays and execution (there’s also a minor break in play and defensive pressure).  When you get such specific help, it's much easier to beat a defense.  Call me blasphemous, but I’ve always viewed set-pieces as basically football plays with your feet.  Seriously, compare them and you’ll understand more how scoring is priceless in soccer.

Soccer requires teamwork.  No star player can carry a team through the opposing eleven.  11 on 11.  Enough said.

Fortunately for us, soccer is the most popular sport in the world, By Far.  It's because anyone, different sizes or economic statuses can play.  I absolutely hate the counter-argument to this that claims soccer's popularity is only because it's a poor man's sport.  If you believe this then you're just scared of true competition.  Elitists can't handle the numerous cultural influences and thus diverse playing styles that arise because of world popularity in a sport.  Soccer's simplicity allows for anyone to play, but for all to make it their own.  The Brazilians dance, the German's build a machine, the Dutch invented "total football," the Japanese play with precision, the Italians are dramatic, and on and on.  Even if you aren't individually gifted you can develop through teamwork a way to win.  Greece won the Euro 2004 title by team defensive execution despite lacking star quality players.  Defense, nice! More so, in soccer, your offense can become your defense.  Huh? The other team can’t score if they don’t touch the ball…  Again, there are simply too many ways for me to explain how to play the beautiful game.  The cultural influences in soccer are what make this game the most globally beautiful.  It's the future's clash of culture without the bloodshed.  Different styles face-off, some bruises may occur, but a winner and loser emerge without any rubble.  It’s fun, it’s fair (a different post’s topic), and did I mention it’s beautiful? Maybe, Americans will take soccer more seriously if they consider the possible "world domination" option it provides.  One day, I believe we will, so I’m getting front row seats to the future of sports and I hope you will join me. USA! USA! USA! (by the way, one of the saddest/least creative soccer chants in the world)

If you still wonder why I love soccer, watch these videos and you will talk to yourself saying simply “Beautiful.”

Best Free Kick Ever

Sweet Bicycle Kick Compilation

Old Fav of Mine: Ronaldhino vs. Zidane