MSU loses in championship

Michigan State lost in the championship of the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship last night. The University of North Carolina won, 89-72, and the score was about that far apart for pretty much the entire game. I turned it on during halftime. Magic Johnson was part of the panel analyzing the game. He and Larry Bird were there, commemorating their championship game 30 years ago, when Magic, playing for MSU, beat Bird, playing for Indiana. That is still the most-watched basketball game - college or NBA - ever. During the halftime report, Magic sounded as if he had basically given up on MSU. When Magic Johnson, one of the most upbeat, optimistic human beings on the planet, is losing faith, you know it's looking bad.

I called my Dad, who is a huge MSU fan (my mother and brother both went there). He is usually about as optimistic and upbeat as Magic, but this time he was just about as depressed. He said that it was men vs. boys; UNC was playing juniors and seniors, MSU was playing freshmen and sophomores. That ain't good. But that also means that some of the UNC players will be graduating, and the MSU players will be coming back. There's always next year.

The definition of a good day: USC 65, UCLA 55

Miracle of miracles, wonder of wonders, USC beat UCLA in basketball, 65-55 in the semifinals of the Pac 10 tournament. USC is now in the finals of the Pac 10 tournament! We are playing Arizona State today.

Can I get an Amen! USC traditionally dominates football in LA, while UCLA dominates basketball. UCLA was ranked 15, USC was unranked. UCLA is already in March Madness, while USC will get in if they beat Arizona today and clinch the regional championship, and might get in if they come close. The best part of the game was that USC was in the lead for the entire game. It was never even tied. Never even tied. USC must have wanted it real bad. Good for them.

We also beat Cal in this tournament, which is icing on the cake.

I watched the game at a bar in the Valley. I was there with a friend who is a West Virginia fan. We had some hopes that they might beat Syracuse, particularly since the Orangemen were coming off of the second-longest game in NCAA Div. I history, but the Mountaineers went cold in OT, and couldn't defend in the paint. Still, it was a good game.

I only watched the first half of the USC-UCLA game, because we were up at halftime, and I wanted to savor the feeling (I also had to get home). But we won! Now I'm sorry I missed it.

Of course, the true story of basketball in LA is the Lakers, who are steamrolling the West and most of the rest of the league. But last night, it was all about the Trojans.

Play some ball, Barack!

I wrote in an earlier post that one advantage Obama has in Indiana is that he can play basketball, which is a big deal in the Hoosier state. OK, it's not a huge advantage. And I don't think he wants to have a picture taken of him in sweats - not very presidential. But the candidates give lots of speeches in gyms. He could give a speech, fire up the crowd, and accept a pass from someone in the audience, turn around, and throw one in from where he'sjust given the speech. Of course, there's always the risk that he'll miss. But if takes more than one shot, he'll make several. And it would erase the image of him bowling a 37 in Pa.

Of course, there's an interesting racial dynamic. Basketball is dominated by black players, and while some have good images, the one with the best image, Magic Johnson, endorsed Hillary. On the other hand, Michael Jordan played his best ball in Chicago, and I'm pretty sure he endorsed Obama. So shooting some hoops might reinforce the image of Obama as a black candidate.

Except that basketball in Indiana has, as far as I know, been very much a white sport, and I'm assuming there are still a fair number of white guys jumping in high school and college. And one of the best white players of all time, Larry Bird, is from there. I wonder if he's endorsed anybody?

Obama's one unique advantage in Indiana

He's a decent basketball player. That's going to come in handy in the Hoosier state.

Hillary the B-Ball player?

You can tell a lot about how a political campaign is going by how the jokes are going. I haven't heard a lot of Obama jokes or satire. Maybe I'm not paying attention, but I haven't picked up much. I think that is partially because he just doesn't provide that much good material. It's hard to make fun of someone who is doing a good job.

Hillary, on the other hand, is getting hammered. Another sign that things are not going well: people and Web sites that don't normally pay attention to politics are jumping in. Yet another sign: people actually spend some time on their satire. They know enough people are going to appreciate the joke that it's worth it to put in some effort. Hopefully my explication hasn't ruined anyone's anticipation of this piece from the Sports Pickle:

Hillary Clinton Fondly Recalls Leading Arkansas to 1994 NCAA Title

Asked by a reporter if she was participating in an NCAA Tournament pool today, presidential candidate Hillary Clinton wowed media members by recalling the magical run the Arkansas Razorbacks made to the 1994 championship – a run Clinton says she fueled by averaging 38 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists, good enough to be named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.

Hillary can play ball? Who knew? Since I am trying not to comment on Hillary's appearance, I'm not going to imagine her in a basketball uniform. Not going to go there . . .

hat tip: Andrew Sullivan