The End Zone Issue 9 - March Madness

It’s that time – March Madness, and there’s a definite buzz building as we move closer to the College Hoops championship games. BetUS gets a little insane this time of year too – we’re giving away a MILLION bucks in our online March Million brackets contest. That’s $1,000,000 cash. We MUST be MAD!

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2005 MARCH MADNESS DIVISION I BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE

Opening Round
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
University of Dayton Arena Dayton, Ohio
Host: University of Dayton

First/Second Rounds
Thursday and Saturday, March 17 and 19, 2005
Taco Bell Arena
Boise, Idaho
Host: Boise State University
CSU Convocation Center
Cleveland, Ohio
Host: Cleveland State University

RCA Dome
Indianapolis, Ind.
Host: Butler University/Horizon League

McKale Center
Tucson, Ariz.
Host: University of Arizona

Friday and Sunday, March 18 and 20, 2005
Charlotte Coliseum
Charlotte, NC
Host: Davidson College

Gaylord Entertainment Center
Nashville, Tenn.
Host: Ohio Valley Conference

Ford Center
Oklahoma City, Okla.
Host: Big 12 Conference

DCU Center
Worcester, Mass.
Host: College of the Holy Cross

Regionals (Tip-off times TBA)
Thursday and Saturday, March 24 and 26, 2005
Chicago Regional
Allstate Arena
Chicago, Ill.
Host: DePaul University

Albuquerque Regional
University Arena
Host: University of New Mexico

March 25 and 27, 2005
Austin Regional
Frank Erwin Center
Austin, Texas
Host: University of Texas at Austin

Syracuse Regional
Carrier Dome
Syracuse, NY
Host: Syracuse University

Final Four
April 2 and 4, 2005
Final Four
April 2 and 4, 2005
Tentative Tip-off times are 5:07 p.m. and 8:18 p.m. Central Time
Edward Jones Dome
St. Louis, MO
Host: Missouri Valley Conference

The NBA found itself caught between hypocrisy and hype at the All-Star Game and it was awkward to say the least because they generated both.

As Commissioner David Stern continued to push his idea of a 20-year-old age minimum for players in the draft, he was faced with the uncomfortable fact that fully one-third of the 24 All-Stars showcased Sunday night were teenagers when they joined the league. LeBron James, Jermaine O’Neal and Gilbert Arenas on the Eastern Conference team, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Rashard Lewis, Tracy McGrady and Amare Stoudemire on the Western Conference team all entered the league before their 20th birthday. They are the vanguard of the NBA’s evolving “Young Guns” marketing campaign and they are the players doing the most to swell merchandise sales, and they also are the strongest possible argument the players’ association could offer in opposing Stern’s plan in the new collective bargaining agreement under negotiation.

There was James, Rookie of the Year last year and an MVP candidate this season, looking as comfortable on the court as any of his seniors, scoring 13 points and handing out six assists in the East’s 125-115 victory. He teamed with game MVP Allen Iverson on one of the most fan-pleasing plays, a dunk off an alley-oop pass from Iverson in the first quarter. There was Garnett, the NBA’s MVP last season and a teen when he entered the league out of high school a decade ago, looking no worse at 28 for turning pro so young.

Stern is claiming the moral high ground on the age issue, saying he is looking out for the best interests of the game and the many kids whose NBA dreams never materialize. But when push comes to shove in the contract talks, Stern is not likely to win on this one — even if the players themselves are divided on the merits of an age minimum.

“There are so many guys coming in under 20 who have done so well out of high school,” said Stoudemire, a first-time All-Star who was drafted at 19. “If that’s making the NBA better, why would you cut them off because of their age? For guys who come in under 20 or straight out of high school, I think it’s cool, as long as they come in mature and eager to learn the game of basketball.”

Ray Allen, who stayed in school, playing at Connecticut, took a different view.

“A lot of people look at it as punishment for younger players, but you have to think about the players who fall through the cracks, who aren’t as successful and end up not getting a college education or being able to see what that whole experience is like,” Allen said. “I don’t look at (an age minimum) as a bad thing. I think we’re helping out younger guys, not hurting them”. Ray Allen is a true gentleman and a bit of a Renaissance Man who collects art and has done some acting which must have stood him in good stead if he actually kept a straight face while talking about “not getting a college education.

At big time NCAA sports programs “student-athletes” is now and long has been oxymoronic and seemingly the NCAA assumes sports fans are just plain moronic by using the term. It is insulting the nation’s intelligence to pretend that a typical “student-athlete’s” sheepskin is more valuable than when it was still on the sheep. Although I may be being a bit harsh, since I have just been informed that down Georgia way there are some Bulldog “student-athletes” that know that a successful three point shot counts three points. And, Jim Harrick Jr. has the exams to prove. So, those “student-athletes” who aren’t playing basketball professionally can always get jobs as professional scorekeepers for grade school basketball games. Just as Allen said he would vote for the 20-year-old rule if the union took a poll, so did another college grad, Duke’s Grant Hill, a seven-time All-Star now with Orlando. Hill acknowledged the hypocrisy of the NBA promoting the young players at the same time the league is trying to ban more. “If you have that kind of special talent and gift then, of course, the league will have to market you,” Hill said. “But not everybody is a LeBron, a Dwight Howard. There are some guys in this locker room who aren’t even 20 who are great players. But I always thought the purpose of a union was to protect its members, not its potential members.”

Hill recalled Korleone Young, who came out of high school, played with him in Detroit, then drifted quickly out of the NBA. “He would have benefited by going to school and developing,” Hill said. “I think more of guys like him than I think of a LeBron.” Though it may seem obvious that most players would benefit by staying in school longer, college is not for everyone. Some players have neither the aptitude for nor any interest in college. What would forcing them to stay in school accomplish, other than taking away a scholarship from players who really want an education? Then, too, some players who grow up in poverty and happen to mature faster than others may have no desire to postpone the wealth they can make in the NBA. Eleven of the 24 All-Stars, including several from overseas, never went to college. Yet they are successful, seemingly satisfied and without regrets.

“Who knows if there’s another LeBron James out there?” said Houston’s Tracy McGrady, who joined the NBA out of high school in 1997 and was now on his fifth All-Star team. “I would be against the age limit. I think what would be a great idea is the way they do baseball players. If the guy is not ready, the teams ought to be able to sign them, have the rights to them but let them play in a minor league. Send that guy down a level until he’s ready to play at this level.”

Stern wants to do something exactly like that with an expanding NBA Development League. That’s fine for players who are drafted but not quite ready for the NBA. It doesn’t solve the problem of what to do with teens that happen to be ready in every way to play among men.
“If a guy can go fire weapons in a war at 18, why can’t he choose to play basketball?” asks Jermaine O’Neal, one of those who leaped from high school to the NBA. We are just talking about basketball here. If we were talking about something that’s bad for the league, I would say, ‘OK, you’re right.’ But the most marketable players are the ones who came in at an early age and it’s working.”

Just like a decades old mirror query, that goes if a guy can go to war and kill or even be killed, why can’t he buy a beer, a shot of Jack Daniels, O’Neal poses a very tough question to answer. Of course if he’s a NBA rookie a magnum of Cristal is more likely to be his libation of choice – ya gotta have some for the posse, after all.

Jack McCarthy is a freelance writer and sports enthusiast for BetUS.com. You can reach for comment at: marketing@betus.com.

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Best served with celery sticks and blue cheese dressing, these spicy bad boys are best when they’re deep fried for that little extra crisp, and drowned in lots of sauce. Dipping in the blue cheese is recommended too. Makes 8-10 servings.

Send us your tried, tested and true recipes to The End Zone at: marketing@betus.com.


INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION
Chop off the tip of each chicken wing, and discard it. Chop the wing in half (cutting at the joint) to make 2 pieces. Grind on fresh black pepper and sprinkle with salt if desired.

Heat the oil over high heat in a deep skillet or deep-fat fryer until it starts to pop and sizzle (around 400 degrees F). Add half the chicken wings and cook until they're golden and crisp, stirring or shaking occasionally. When done, remove them to drain on paper towels and cook the remaining wings.

Melt the butter or margarine over medium heat in a heavy saucepan, add the hot sauce and the 1 tablespoon of vinegar. Stir well and remove from the flame immediately.

Place the chicken on a warm serving platter, pour the sauce on top, and serve.