Crazy Year For March Madness?

March Madness is on the rise, and there is still no clear favorite to win. This year has clearly been one of the craziest in NCAA History. As of this upcoming week, the number one seed will have been held by four different teams: Duke, Indiana, Louisville, and Michigan, and now possibly Gonzaga. Most likely Indiana will hold it even though they just lost to Minnesota. Some of these teams didn't just lose either. They got crushed. For example, when Duke held #1 they lost to #25 Miami 90-63... That's a blowout. In most cases, the #1 seeds of the tournament usually dominate the tournament. It will not be that way this year. I have a feeling that it could be historic. There has never been a #16 seed over come a #1 seed in the first round of March Madness. However, if there is a year that it could happen, it's this one. There is clearly no dominant team in the league right now, and if you had to choose one it would have to be Indiana. They are no guarantee either losing multiple times already. The talent is spread across all the teams right now. March Madness '13 is going to be a toss-up. It wouldn't surprise me if a #6 seed or higher wins the title this year. One thing is for sure, all this craziness will make for an exciting month of March.

Should Rose Return?

After the Chicago Bulls lost horribly against two of the best teams in the NBA, the question I rise is: should Derrick Rose come back? Is it worth it for Rose to rush back to the Bulls when their season may already be lost?

When their "star player" has been out all this season, and says he won't be back till he is "110%", some may wonder if it's worth it.

I don't think at this point Derrick Rose would be able to come back and hold the season down. He may be better off recuperating from his injury for next season. After the Bull's embarrassing losses, they might as well let Rose fully recover before coming back.

I don't think there is any rush for Rose. There is nothing he can do in this season and his comeback is over due.

Great Weekend for Women in Sports

Despite the horrific NASCAR crashes and the broke limbs, this was a big weekend for women in sports. 

Danica Patrick raced this weekend and was able to avoid a crash that injured 28 racing fans. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPwK6QCveqk) She was the first woman driver to lead a poll lap.  She was passed quickly by Jeff Gordon, but this is still a record to hold.  Hopefully she can come back and break her won record next year.  She told reporters that breaking this record was not as her goal.  She wants to become the best racer period.

UFC held its first women's title fight this weekend where Ronda Rousey went toe-to-toe against Lizz Carmouche.  She has finished her last seven fights all by arm bar ending in several broken bones.  Even more astonishing is that all of those arm bars have come in the first round… her last  seven fights have not made it out of the first round!  Rousey has been all over with her fighting.  She was been in the olympics, she has been the Strikeforce bantam weight champion before coming to the UFC.  The bout between these two fighters generated more money than the title fight between Franky Edgar and Jose Aldo!  She is even rumored to be in the next "Hunger Games" movie. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFp4T0Xi98E)

As exciting as this weekend was for these women, it was much about them paving way for women in the sport.  It will be very exciting to see how these ladies come back in their sport and succeed, but I am looking forward to the next group of women to come in and break into the sport.  The women's fight class is still very small, but it is obviously an up and coming event and I am sure there are more fight fans than just me who would like to see the division grow.

Lets go White Sox!

Spring training has begun and man do I love the talk of baseball in the air! Our Chicago White Sox took on the Los Angeles Dodgers for their first game back and slaughtered them 9-0. This is a great start for the Sox! I know many are wondering if this will be a better season because I know I am. Last season, the Sox maintained first place until the Detroit Tigers took the lead in the AL Central. The Sox took their third straight loss against the Tampa Rays that put them two games behind the Tigers. It was very disappointing to see the Sox go from number one to two in the matter of two games. I still have faith in my team! Pitcher, John Danks is recovering from a shoulder surgery he had last August. The word on the block is that he will be back and ready for the season. Opening day for the Sox will be April first against the Kansas City Royals. Lets go White Sox!

NFL Teams Want To Know If Te'o Is Gay

It's no surprise that former Notre Dame linebacker, Manti Te'o, has been held under a magnifying glass after the big scandal that shocked the nation in January. 

We've heard it all. 

But the reason he's making headlines this time is far more ridiculous and it just doesn't sit well with me.

NBC Sports' Mike Florio went on the Dan Patrick radio show Monday and said that NFL teams are interested in knowing whether or not Te'o is gay. 

"They just want to know," says Florio. They want to know because in an NFL locker room, it's a different world. It shouldn't be that way"(Chicago Tribune).

We all know that Te'o has been focusing on repairing his image and preparing for the NFL draft so the fact that his sexual orientation is making news is just disappointing.

I mean, how does an athlete being gay have anything to do with how many touchdowns or blocks he can get?

How is that any different from saying a straight man can't play football because he'll be too distracted by the pretty cheerleaders on the sidelines?

It just doesn't make sense. 

But here comes the best part. 

According to Florio, these teams won't ask Te'o straight up if he is gay or not because then their organization would be exposed. Instead, they'll do some investigations and find out through the grapevine from close sources what his sexual orientation is. 

It's 2013 people. Don't we have far more important things to be focusing our energy on? 

What do you think? Is it appropriate for teams to want to know what his sexual orientation is?

Jacoby Jones Joins ABC's 'DWTS'

Fresh off his team’s Super Bowl win, Ravens’ wide receiver Jacoby Jones is ready to join a new team of stars. Dancing With the Stars, that is. It hasn’t been a full month since his Super Bowl victory and the 28-year old is already anxious to get those feet back to work. Jones is the first of the cast members to be announced for the show’s 16^th season. He expressed his excitement about the show two weeks ago in an interview with Jimmy Kimmel.

“Oh yes sir… I’ll get it done. I’ll get it done, baby,” said Jones in response to Kimmel’s questions about possibly joining the cast.

It’s always fun to see athletes outside of their element. I’m looking forward to seeing if Mr. Jones can “get it done” on the floor like he says he can. If he wins he’ll join a few other Super Bowl winners like Emmitt Smith and Hines Ward.  I’ll be tuned into Good Morning America tomorrow to find out who’ll make up the rest of the cast.

Can You Take The Heat?

LeBron James and the Miami Heat sure do make winning look easy. Their eleven-game winning streak has been electrifying to watch. Even non-Heat fans have to give them their props. James’ explanation for the greatness was simple, “We’re a veteran ball club and we’ve been in every situation that an NBA game can offer us.”

I love the Heat. Everybody knows that LeBron’s my favorite player but, I can’t help but wonder if the winning streak got to their heads a little bit. Saturday night’s win over the Cleveland Cavaliers was a tough one for the team. The victory wasn’t certain until the final moments of the game. They really owe Shane Battier and Dwyane Wade big time! Wade stepped up in the fourth quarter to save them from completely ruining their 22-point lead and Battier’s lucky three-pointer couldn’t have come at a time.

It was so nice to see James fall back from being the lead scorer. Their teamwork in the fourth quarter is what makes me so happy to be a Heat fan. Even when my guys struggle they always work together, they’re not divas, their goal is to win and they do! GO HEAT

Danica 500

Jimmy Johnson may have won the Daytona 500, but more people were paying attention to the driver that came in 8th. Danica Patrick made history by becoming the first female driver to lead a lap in a race in Nascar's top series.

You'd think a woman as popular as Danica would have a big head head by now, but that's not at all the case. Danica said she was actually disappointed with the finish, and while she's proud to break the record there's still more to accomplish. She made it clear that she doesn't want to be thought of as just a "woman driver", she wants to beat all drivers. She has proven she is just as good as the guys, especially in her most recent races.

In an interview with the New York Times, Danica said, “I think a stat that I found more interesting is only 13 people, including me now, have led Indy and Daytona. I’m honored. But, again, these are things that just happen along the way. I’m on the quest to be the best driver, run up front, get to victory lane. These things happen, and I’m proud, but they’re not the ultimate goal.”

Danica keeps getting better, and I'm sure we can expect a lot more record breaking from her in the future.

Jamario Taylor interview tidbits

I drove to Western Illinois University in Macomb, IL to interview Track star Jamario Taylor.

Jamario Taylor is a high jumper for the Western Track team. Taylor is tied for the school record in the outdoor high jump with an impressive mark of 7-00.50. Taylor is second in school history for the indoor high jump with a mark of 7-00.25. Check out some of Taylor's career achievements at Western.

I met Taylor at East Aurora High school. We had Driver's Ed together.  I knew the kind of person Taylor was but after interviewing him I found out so much more.  I interviewed Taylor for a good half hour.

Taylor is the youngest of six brothers and sisters. His nickname is "6" because he is the youngest child. His mom, Mary, gave him the nickname "6" because it was easier to keep track then to call them out by their names.

The thing that stood out about Taylor was his personality. He is not shy whatsoever. He says "hi, how are you doing?" to every single person he sees on campus. He did the same thing when he was attending East Aurora. He's full of energy and he's as real as they come. He can jump seven feet, he'll go the extra mile just to help you out, but his smile lights up the room like no other.

I look forward to putting this feature piece together because I'll be hard pressed to find another person who views life as Taylor does.

"She(Taylor's mom) held us in her hands because we were the size of a pickle jar. It was a blessing that we were able to walk, talk, breathe, crack jokes and smile so we were more fortunate."