SLAG-91

Well, got respectable pitching in game 1 of the DH, but didn't hit enough. Not a whole lot of fun for anyone at this point.

I've never understood why any group, whether I am sympathetic to their cause or not, thinks that doing something like blocking traffic would bring anyone over to their POV. At best, you're just going to make people angry that may have otherwise been indifferent. At worst, if there is an emergency vehicle that is trying to get through and it can't because a gaggle of inconsiderate a**holes are blocking the road, lives could be at stake. Occam's razor suggests that they're more interested in being attention whores and baiting people into a reaction. Otherwise, they wouldn't be standing in the gotdamned road. Protest to your heart's content out of the line of traffic, ya smooth-brained yahoos. Police here (by here, I mean the U.S.) in many places are too chicken**** to do anything about this, despite it almost assuredly being illegal to block passage on roadways in this manner. Sadly, failure to enforce laws because of perceived bad optics is not limited to poorly located protests. To paraphrase a Chris Rock bit, "I don't think they should be moved in an illegal fashion...but I understand.'

Well, here's the ugly tale of the tape after 14 conference games: Outscored 128-71...giving up 9 runs/game in SEC play, and we got run-ruled in three of those games. Woof. If there is some light at the end of the tunnel, our last four series are against teams that are also struggling in conference play (Ole Miss, LSU, Missouri, Alabama). They're also looking at us as a chance to get well. Goal 1 is to make the SEC tournament. As it stands now, we're out.

It was a tragedy of errors and outright lying all the way around. LAPD was inept, the prosecution basically turned 1st and goal from the 2 into a turnover on downs, and Lance Ito was trying (and largely failing) to manage a three-ring circus. Should have never allowed cameras in the courtroom, imo. Tex nailed it, I think. LAPD didn't need to put their thumbs on the scale, but damned if they didn't stomp on their own dicks and do it, anyway. As much attention as this trial got, imagine if it had taken place in our current social media climate. 1994-1995 was the equivalent of the Stone Age for the internet.

That is perfectly stated.

UConn has now caught UNC in national titles, all of them in the last 25 years. They only trail Kentucky and UCLA all-time. 6-0 in title games. 12 straight double-digit wins in the NCAAs. They are impressive, and it ain't bragging if you can back it up. This tournament was kind of the anti-March Madness...a great run to the Final Four by NC State, but not much in the way of late-game dramatics.

Purdue seems to be an easy team to root for, and they've never won a basketball title. I'll be in their corner, and I hope it's a game that lives up to its billing like Kansas-Memphis (08), Illinois-UNC (05), Duke-UConn (99), Michigan-UNC (93) and Georgetown-UNC (82) that were all pretty compelling games featuring 1 seeds in the title game.

Gets no easier next weekend against a 11-1 in the SEC Kentucky squad who just swept Alabama and gave up 3 runs total in the process. Stating the obvious, but we don't look like a postseason team at all right now.

I think UConn is now 11-1 in Final Four games...that is mind-boggling.

Purdue's only other title game appearance was 55 years ago. Hopefully they'll be playing UConn for the title on Monday.

Burns vs. Edey will be a very intriguing matchup. Load vs. Load.

They have been surgical offensively in the second half...excellent passing team. Will need to make some FTs to put this one away.

Something to think about re: Broome. Guess we'll see, but I'm not going to get my hopes up. Current game is a rock fight, but given how good both teams have been defensively in the tournament, not really a surprise.

...and then probably just slammed it shut with that block.

Purdue leaving the door open...

Announcers mentioned it, but Edey's stamina is pretty impressive for a big guy. I think they said he's sat for less than a minute of game time. Purdue being smart...when you've got an advantage, work it mercilessly.

Finally called one on the big fella. Game of runs, and the Vols are hanging in there. It looked like Purdue was about to go up double digits a minute or two ago.

Purdue punched right back after going down 11...and I also would like to see the alternating possession rule go bye-bye.

Whole Vol team is on fire from 3...7-10 right now.

Next two SEC series are at home (Tennessee, Kentucky), and we really need to go 4-2 in those six games to give us a real chance at having a conference record that would earn a postseason spot. 13-17 is about the worst record I can remember getting an at-large bid, which would require a 12-9 finish from here. We've played three of the better teams in a very good conference already, so maybe we can start to dig out of our hole next weekend.

No sense getting off into the conspiratorial weeds re: the selection committee. Would a different match-up and bracket made a difference? Maybe, maybe not. We'll never know. We earned our misery by defecating on ourselves against Yale, and if we are the (recently) basketball-savvy fanbase we think we are, then that loss put a huge damper on the season, right, wrong or indifferent. Football schools console themselves with hoops conference tournament titles and NCAA tournament underperformance. We hold our 2019 group in such high regard for their great NCAA tournament run, not for winning the SEC tournament. Anyone stating otherwise is deluding themselves. Where I think the slow (or not-so-slow) burn is happening for some of us is the combination of our pratfall combined with our archrival's run to a Final Four. I'd be lying if I said that watching this unfold has been fun, because it most assuredly has not been fun. Their success is not good for us, no more than our 2019 run was good for them (although from their standpoint, they fired Avery Johnson and hired Oats after our FF appearance, so maybe indirectly it was...). To give another beating to this dead horse: If the last 2-3 seasons haven't made it crystal clear that we need true difference-makers in the backcourt, then nothing will. At this point, regarding this aggravation of an NCAA tournament, a UConn-Purdue championship game would be interesting to watch...which probably means we'll get Alabama-Tennessee.

I'm not sure I've ever seen a 30-0 run in any basketball game, never mind an Elite 8 game. Jawdropping.

Shead's ankle roll looked pretty severe. Hope he didn't tear ligaments... he's UH's engine on offense.

A Houston-NC State regional final would be an interesting historical flashback to the '83 championship game that NC State won on a dunk at the buzzer. Haven't watched a whole lot of Duke this year, so don't really know how they match up against Houston. Purdue's redemption tour is picking up steam. Creighton or Tennessee is going to have to play a great game to beat them.