First Boise State, then Eastern Washington...Now Central Arkansas?

First it was Boise State who installed their infamous blue field in 1986.  Then, Eastern Washington followed last year when they installed their eye-sore of a red field.  Yesterday, which just so happens to be April Fools Day, Central Arkansas announced plans to install a grey and purple field for the upcoming season.  This may start a whole new trend of college football playing surfaces, or it may be the best April Fools gag of all time...well at least since last April, when LSU announced the addition of a purple field to Tiger Stadium, which turned out just to be a great hoax.

In honor of another colored field, I think this would be a great time for me to introduce my marketing plan for the WAC.  You already have an absurd name, so why not embrace your "wacky" roots, and market your conference with colored football fields? Boise State started the trend, so carry it on and allow teams like San Jose State to have a yellow field.  Or have Fresno State install a red turf, or even be bold and allow Idaho to purchase black turf for the Kibbie Dome.  With plenty of colors to go around, every team can have a unique field, and get their names out there to the rest of the country.

MLB Opening Day!!

In honor of Major League Baseball's Opening Day, here is a primer for the 2011 season.

American League Predictions


AL West: Texas Rangers
The AL West has been down in recent seasons, although the Rangers broke through and made an appearance in the World Series last year.  Look for the Rangers to repeat in this weak league, despite losing pitching star Cliff Lee.

AL Central: Chicago White Sox/Minnesota Twins
The AL Central looks to be a very heated race, with the White Sox, Twins, and Tigers all competing for a spot in the playoffs.  The White Sox and Twins seem to be the preseason favorites, but the Twins must keep stars Mauer and Morneau healthy.

AL East: Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox have arguably made the best off season acquisitions, putting them in perfect position to win the pennant.  The additions of Carl Crawford, and Adrian Gonzalez, to go along with Boston's premier starting rotation, should put the Red Sox into the playoffs.

National League Predictions


NL West: San Francisco Giants
The Giants return all the key players from their run to the 2010 World Series title, which should put them in the playoffs again in 2011.  The key for the Giants will be their bats, as they have one of the league's best pitching staffs...the hitters just need to help them out!

NL Central: St. Louis Cardinals/Cincinnati Reds
Once again the Central Division looks to feature a contentious race, with almost any team having a legitimate shot at reaching the playoffs.  The Cardinals and Reds look to be the early season favorites, but watch out for the Milwaukee Brewers, who with hot bats, could steal the division.

NL East: Philadelphia Phillies
Any pick other than the Phillies to win the division would probably be a bad pick.  The addition of Cliff Lee to an already fierce starting rotation, should power Philadelphia past any competition that may surface.  The only issues that one can find with the Phil's is their recent taste of the injury bug, with Chase Utley and Brad Lidge being place on the 15-day DL.  If they can stay healthy throughout the duration of the season, the Phillies will easily move on to the playoffs.



World Series Prediction:  Phillies defeat Red Sox 4-2

Blooper of the Week...

Our blooper of the week for this final week of March, comes to us from the world of soccer.  I guess the moral of the story is watch where you're running, and don't jog behind soccer nets.

Links...

The Associated Press All-American team was released today, and to no surprise Jimmer Fredette was the leading vote-getter.

A Columbian soccer fan got to watch his local team play...from the comfort of his own coffin?

Was Charles Barkley drinking during the CBS halftime show?  Lastangryfan.com thinks he was...

VCU is proud to have spoiled millions of brackets this March...and they are not afraid to taunt you about it, as seen in their new fan t-shirts.

And, um apparently Ray's 3rd baseman Evan Longoria owns an AK-47...or, he did...

The Improbable Final Four...2 People Predicted it

You don't need me to tell you how crazy and unexpected this tournament has been.  The last two weeks have been filled with buzzer beaters, upsets, and busted brackets left and right.  My bracket was torn to shreds by the likes of VCU, Butler, Kentucky, Florida State, and many many others.

Despite all of the unprecedented results from this years tournament, 2 miraculous brackets have emerged on ESPN's Tournament Challenge (out of 5.9 million) that picked the correct Final Four of Kentucky, UConn,  Butler and VCU....Put into a percentage, that is only .00034% of the 5.9 million, that managed to get the correct combination of Final Four teams.  I don't know if it was pure luck, world-class basketball knowledge, or even psychic abilities, but what those two people accomplished was pretty amazing.  Especially due to all of the anti-VCU sentiment that came out of ESPN in light of the at-large birth that the Rams received on "Selection Sunday."

If the Final Four is anything like the rest of the tournament, Saturday should be a tremendous day for college sports, and especially for mid-majors.