Matt’s Take – Shame on Bubba Cunningham and the Committee; the best WR duo in the NFL, one week until Reds Opening Day and Dolly Parton?
By Matthew McAdow
HCP columnist
All right, a lot to cover here, but you have to let me rant for a minute. As many of you know, I am a West Virginia Mountaineers fan. I know this team wasn’t good enough to even make it to the Sweet Sixteen, I do. But man, did they get screwed over by some of the worst decisions in college sports history, as well as Indiana getting the short straw as well.
West Virginia was left out of March Madness, yet North Carolina, Xavier and Texas somehow found their way in. Baffling right? Let’s take a look into the numbers for each of these schools and you tell me if Bubba Cunningham (Athletic Director of North Carolina/Chairman of the Committee) had anything to do with this (he did). He secured a $104,000 bonus for getting the Tar Heels in the dance on top of it.
Maybe we should let Peebles High School athletic director be the chairman of OHSAA and get Peebles the easiest route in the dance every year, while giving him a bonus for doing so. Works for Bubba, right?
West Virginia – 111 of 111 bracketologists had WVU in the dance, with wins over Gonzaga (neutral court), Arizona (neutral court), Kansas (at Kansas), and Iowa State, 6 Quad 1 wins, 0 Quad 3 or 4 losses, .500 in the Big 12, Defeated 4 ranked teams, 4 Big 12 road victories, 3 wins against AP Top 10 teams (most in the Big 12), 1 of only 30 teams to have 6 quad 1 victories.
And don’t give me the injury excuse. Tucker DeVries hasn’t played since Dec. 6 before conference play. Give me a break!
North Carolina – 27/111 bracketologists had them in the dance, 1-12 in Quad 1 games (Atrocious), Quad 3 loss, Beat UCLA (Only ranked team they beat), 13-7 in a very poor ACC, 13 losses…But hey, they almost beat Duke.
Xavier – 30/111 bracketologists had them in the dance, 1-9 in Quad 1 games, ranked wins over Marquette and Uconn, 13-7 in the Big East.
Texas – 50/111 bracketologists had them in the dance, 15 losses, 6-12 in conference play (WOOF), Wins over ranked opponent Mississippi State, Texas A&M, UK, Missouri.
Which resume would you want if you wanted to get in the tournament? Do you think the athletic director of North Carolina should be a chair on the selection committee? I didn’t think so. Shame on the NCAA.
Bags Secured for Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins
At last, our beloved duo finally has reached an agreement with Chase and Higgins including: 4-year extension for Chase, $161 million, $112 million guaranteed (Highest paid non-QB in NFL history). Higgins signed a four year extension for $115 million and becomes the highest WR2 in NFL history.
Never say the Bengals are cheap ever again, as they just forked up the cash and added tax. However, this shows that they waited too long. Nail the draft, Cincinnati, and start paying your stars early, while reaping the benefits later. Prices don’t go down, Brown Family!
Be happy though Bengals fans, as this is huge. Hendrickson, you’re next if at all possible. Defense has some major holes that need filled and I expect the draft to be majorly focused on pass rush and secondary help.
One Week until Reds Opening Day
With just a week and some change until Reds Opening Day, the excitement is building around Cincinnati. This city is ready for some baseball and the city desperately needs a contender this year-and I think they will get just that. However, there are some areas of concern as of late:
• Tyler Stephenson will miss some time with an oblique strain – massive blow to the lineup.
• Jose Trevino is day to day with a thumb injury, leaving us with Wynns should Trevino also miss time.
• Spencer Steer will likely miss Opening Day, but Francona is giving him every chance to try and be ready come next week.
Outside of this though, the Reds are relatively healthy and look to bounce back from these injuries fast. Cincinnati is in a much better spot than last season regarding health. Some notable players that will not be making the Opening Day roster this year include Noelvi Marte and Will Benson. Both have struggled, although I can see Benson joining the team within a month or so of playing time in AAA, as I think he is a true Major League batter.
If Stephenson and Steer both miss time, I expect Blake Dunn to be given a chance to make an impact quick, with Hurtubise ready to get some major league time as well. They both have been highly impressive this spring.
Reds baseball is nearly here and it is the most magical time of the year. Well unless you ask my wife, as we visited Dollywood this weekend and she got to see Dolly Parton in the parade. I guess I owed her for the years of dragging her to RedsFest, Reds Games, and Bengals games. Seeing her happy to see Dolly was worth it and I owed her for the amount of time she has spent in line with me to talk to players season after season.
