ALDLAND’s 2d Annual Mad as a March Hare March Madness Challenge

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It’s that time of year again when attention turns to the NCAA basketball tournament and everyone fills out a bracket in hopes of winning something, whether it be pride, money, or super-duper cool prizes like you will find in ALDLAND’s 2013 Bracket Challenge.  Plus the winner of this contest gets a write up about them like DRTAZ1 got for winning ALDLAND’s Bowl Pick ‘Em Challenge.  So click on the link and make your picks in hopes of winning one of the four awesome prizes listed below:

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Is this the most Old Testament player in college basketball today?

isaiah canaanProvidence’s God Shammgod likely has an eternal hold on the most deific name in college basketball history, but Murray State’s Isaiah Canaan should at least be able to claim the most Old Testament name of the 2012-2013 season. The above shot probably is the last you’ll see of him this year, though, as his Racers just fell victim to a Belmont comeback in the Ohio Valley Conference championship game.

(Apologies for the poor quality of the above image. I was watching the game almost literally on a web feed from a Pakistani VCR, which is of a quality and nature of which neither I nor the Justice Department are likely to approve.)

Give The Man His Due (via Sports On Earth)

LAS VEGAS — Jerry Tarkanian shifted in his easy chair to find a place it didn’t hurt so much. “My butt is sore,” he said. It’s what happens when you’re 82 years old and you fell four years ago. Back in the day, Jerry Tarkanian roared. On this day, his voice was a whisper, tiny and airy as a child’s.

“He’s worn out by physical therapy this morning,” his wife, Lois, said.

Maybe it’d be better to talk another day?

“No, no, he needs this,” she said.

In early April, for the first time, Tarkanian will be a  finalist for election to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

A question to him: Would you like to be in?

His lips barely moved. “It’d be nice,” he said.

What would your players think?

Again, a faint breath of air. “They would like it.”

We should shout it out. Jerry Tarkanian belongs in every basketball Hall of Fame. He built teams at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas that were wonders of the craft. They were at once aggressive and careful, disciplined and relentless. To see UNLV leave Duke alongside the road in the 1990 NCAA championship game, 103-73, was to see basketball made beautiful. In 31 seasons at Long Beach, UNLV and at his alma mater, Fresno State, Tarkanian’s teams won 778 games. He took UNLV to the Final Four four times.

This is also worth a shout: Tark was right all along. He called the NCAA corrupt long before such thinking was fashionable. … Read More

(via Sports On Earth)

ALDLAND Podcast

After taking a couple weeks off for various reasons (mostly because of a lack of interesting stories), ALDLAND is back with a brand new podcast.  The B1G title race is featured, along with discussion of the Blackhawks record point streak and our first ever story about the MLS.  Click play and get some culture!

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ALDLAND Podcast

With all of you ALDLANDers out there getting excited for the Super Bowl, we had to put out a robust podcast covering that game, and also the biggest game of the weekend, Michigan at Indiana.  Join yours truly and Marcus as we cover everything from x’s and o’s to how dumb Chris Culliver is.  Come for the Super Bowl, stay for discussion of James Franklin being a weirdo.

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Related Super Bowl Coverage
Super Bowl Jam
The Truth: What really happened in the murder trial of Ray Lewis, Reginald Oakley, and Joseph Sweeting (via Atlanta Magazine)

Ravens vs. 49ers: A losers’ guide to Super Bowl cheering

A question about Super Bowl Media Day
Beyond the Archives: How Big Government Cost Southern Conservatives a Super Bowl Win

Super Bowl Politicking

ALDLAND Archives: Breaking Up is Hard to Do
ALDLAND Archives: Why I Hate Harbaugh
Super Bowl XLVII, brought to you by the AARP?

ALDLAND Podcast

Early December is a dead time for sports, but that doesn’t mean that ALDLAND can’t find things to talk about.  Join Brendan and Marcus as they discuss the demise of the Big East and the crazy contracts that are being handed out like candy in Los Angeles.

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News clips

Spending all day on the road meant I got to hear all the daytime sports radio I could handle. Thrilling, I know. I did pick up a few interesting nuggets, though:

– If Johnny Manziel wins the Heisman Trophy this year, as experts now expect, he will be the first freshman to do so. He won’t be the youngest winner, though. That distinction belongs to Mark Ingram, Jr.

– Apparently there’s some sort of adderall flap surrounding the Philadelphia Eagles and other NFL players. All the obvious issues aside, ProFootballTalk.com’s Mike Florio said that he thinks the adderall story is a cover up. Because the NFL has a policy of not commenting or elaborating on players’ positive drug tests, the players are free to say whatever they’d like about the test. Florio thinks that adderall is the convenient cover story du jour for players who actually tested positive for a more controversial substance.

– Kentucky hired Florida State defensive coordinator Mike Stoops to serve as Joker Phillips’ replacement at the football head coach position. While Kentucky local sports talk radio listeners generally approved of the hire, citing the successes of the Stoops family and Mike’s own rapid improvement of the FSU defense, no one mentioned the only factor that matters right now for the future success of UK football: program funding. Don’t forget that the UK athletic department just spent more on a preseason basketball pep rally than it did on an entire year of football recruiting. For Stoops’ sake, I hope he negotiated a substantial increase in funding for the football program. If not, his pedigree and resume will be irrelevant.

– Before leaving Army for Duke, Mike Krzyzewski interviewed at Vanderbilt but didn’t take the job because the VU athletic director at the time, fearing media exposure of an ongoing search, wouldn’t let Coach K visit the campus.

ALDLAND Podcast

The end of November is always exciting, as teams from the Big Ten and ACC take the court to decide which conference is superior.  The Big Ten is on a three year winning streak, and looks to continue its dominance with a few top five teams taking the court.  Listen as ALDLAND contributor Marcus Paschall and I break down the matchups and give our thoughts on who we think will win.  There’s also some discussion of how much longer James Franklin will continue to coach Vanderbilt.  I hope you will forgive me if the podcast sounds choppy at times, as I was cooking dinner while recording it.  Guy’s gotta eat, ya dig?

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ALDLAND Podcast

Hello, listeners!  After a short(ish) layoff, ALDLAND is back with a podcast to get you ready for the college basketball season!  Also included is discussion of the BCS standings and what we think will happen if there are more than two undefeated teams at the end of the season.  We pinky swear that you won’t have to wait as long for the next ALDLAND podcast.  Look for more exciting content in the weeks to come, as next weekend ALDLAND will bring you coverage of THE GAME, live from Cambridge, Massachusetts.

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Download the ALDLAND podcast at our Podcasts Page or stream it right here:

ALDLAND Podcast

After a brief break, ALDLAND is back with a stellar new podcast.  Click on the play button and you will hear discussion of the first college basketball coaches poll, as well as the embarrassment facing the Auburn Tigers as a touchdown dog at Vanderbilt this weekend and the big in state battle in Michigan.  Seriously, click it right now!

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Download the ALDLAND podcast at our Podcasts Page or stream it right here: