Thus begins the rant of the day:

Welcome to March madness; an event every sports fan waits for all year, much like the Super Bowl. With March madness upon us there are a few things I like to get off my chest:

#1 -- Why is it that the "Western conference" is played in the East? The last time I checked, east and west are on opposite sides of the country! It frustrates me to no end that fans of colleges that reside on the West Coast are forced to travel across the country to watch their own teams compete in the tournament. How does this benefit the students of these colleges? I understand that television revenue drives everything nowadays, but it is ridiculous that the NCAA finds it appropriate to force Western-based colleges and their fans to spend exorbitant amounts of money on tickets as well as the cost of travel to go watch their favorite team compete on the other side of the country. This is just the latest in a long string of awful decisions by the NCAA and proves once again that the leadership of the NCAA needs to be summarily dismissed. At best this shows the NCAA's irresponsibility.

#2 -- Why does the NCAA feel it necessary to have a "game before the games" on Tuesday? Having a game to determine the whipping boy for the country's number one team is pathetic at best. When did we find it necessary to get more excitement built up for the tournament? They certainly did not require this in years past; why now? The answer is quite simple: revenue. The NCAA wanted to find a way to get even more money by getting ESPN involved in the tournament directly. Will this mean more money for the schools, I think not. This just proves the greed of the NCAA lives well in its "leadership".

#3 -- Why are several hours required to hold the NCAA tournament selection show? The answer to this question is quite clear: revenue. Are you starting to see the pattern in this discussion? The fact that they drag this 15 minute event on for hours shows the NCAA's greed, as well as the television networks. While we are on the subject of the selection committee, why is it so difficult for them to figure out who the best teams are? The fact that teams like Arizona State was left out of the tournament in 2008, which nearly everyone questioned, shows the ineptitude of the selection committee as well as the arrogance. Clearly, there is a bias toward the East Coast teams, but we certainly did not need a very evident reminder. Will someone please get rid of the NCAA or at least dramatically revamp it?!

As much as I enjoy the NCAA tournament, I find it necessary to bring up some very obvious points of correction. Competing in and winning tournament games is such a vital part of the schools' revenue, allowing them to hire better instructors, make improvements in the school, and generally bringing attention to programs such as Mount St. Mary's that may go overlooked otherwise, that it is pathetic when the NCAA decides to ruin this time with their own greed. Please don't get me wrong, I adore tournament time. There is nothing better than watching a full day of excellent basketball being played at the highest level, and seeing teams overachieve on a national stage. All I'm asking for is someone to look at the way the NCAA handles their affairs and to correct their many errors and their clear arrogance.

Basketball

Thus begins the rant of the day:

Welcome to my blog. I am beginning my barrage on the world by speaking of basketball, be it high school, college, pro, or any other incarnation of the sport. The first question that I pose is simple: when did travelling suddenly become acceptable in the rule books? Does ANYONE notice the fact that the "jump-step" is travelling? How about the fact that a pivot-foot is actually supposed to be established BEFORE the dribble ceases?

It amazes me that refs are now either trained to overlook these rules violations, or just choose to ignore them. If this is going to be the case, REMOVE THE RULE! While it is exciting to see Lebron, Kobe, Chauncy Billups, and the like cut to the hoop and force their way into the land of the giants, it drives me INSANE to see them take several steps before releasing the ball! CALL THE TRAVEL for goodness sake!!

While we are talking out rules that are ignored, what ever happened to the palming rule? I know I am starting to sound like Adolph Rupp or Bob Knight, but I am a purist, and if they are going to HAVE to darn rules.....ENFORCE THEM! I am all for removing the rules and having a much more fast-paced game, but this is much like the antiquated laws that cities still carry on their books (such as it being illegal to eat ice cream while walking down a town's streets during the summertime...yes, this is a real law in some cities), if they are outdated or just silly, get rid of the rules. If you are going to continue to carry them, ENFORCE THEM! You cannot have it both ways!

Ok, this concludes my rant for the day. Look for more rants to come!