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At the Intersection of Sports and Culture

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Bracketscapes: Tampa, Florida

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Tampa, Florida – St. Pete Times Forum (March 17 & 19: Round 2,3)

Why your dad likes Tampa: I use to think Florida was a place reserved for Spring Training, strip malls, and retirees. But, as it turns out, there’s a whole lot more to the Sunshine State than just palm trees and pavement. As it turns out, Florida also has its fair share of golf courses. With this in mind, what’s a father not to like about Tampa/St. Pete? One of my favorite parts of the area is the Sunshine Skyway Bridge which spans Tampa Bay. I have never seen so many people fishing from the side of a highway in my entire life.

Signature food/drink: Why is it that all old people like gin? Don’t they realize that there are much better alcoholic beverages available? I once went to a wedding in late August where the only alcoholic offerings were red/white wine, a local craft beer, and gin. Gin! Did they not expect people under the age of 75 to actually attend the wedding? Not to mention the fact that gin, tonic, and 100% humidity do not mix well. I almost passed out before my first sip.

College basketball history: What do you think Jake Voskuhl and Khalid El-Amin are up to right about now? Both players were instrumental in UConn’s 1999 National Championship. Of course the star of the team was Rip Hamilton but Voskuhl and El-Amin had what basketball announcers like to call “charisma”. I wasn’t surprised El-Amin didn’t have much of a NBA career. I always figured he had the type of game and body type better suited for the European leagues where teams require their players to take siestas during halftime.

Bracket Predictions: Round 2 – (12) Clemson over (5) WVU, (4) Kentucky over (13) Princeton, (2) Florida over (15) UCSB, (7) UCLA over (10) MSU Round 3– Kentucky over Clemson, and Florida over UCLA

view from St. Pete Times Forum courtesy of @GatorzoneMBK

View from Spring Training: 2011 Colorado Rockies

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2011 Colorado Rockies

NFL Equivalent – Miami Dolphins: My favorite NFL player growing up was Dan Marino. He was the consummate fantasy football quarterback before fantasy football ever existed. If the Dolphins had any a semblance of a defense I am convinced Marino would have won at least two Super Bowls in the 80s/90s. He also had great hair! I mention this only because Troy Tulowitzki, the star SS for the Colorado Rockies, pursued a similar look this past season. Call it the “crullet” – curly haired mullet. Another similarity between these two franchises…their home climates can, and often do, affect the outcome of a game.  Between the humidity/heat of South Florida and the altitude of the Rocky Mts, opposing teams need to prepare, both physically and psychologically, days in advance before playing in Miami or Colorado.

Google Search: Speaking of Tulowitzki, the Rockies inked their franchise player to a seven year $134 million extension in November, which means he’ll be making an average of $20 million until he’s 35 years old.  That equates to nearly a quarter of Colorado’s mid market payroll. I haven’t watched “Tulo” play on a regular basis but it seems like a lot of money to tie up in a single player these days. If Tulowitzki is worth $20 million to Colorado, than Albert Pujols has got to be worth at least $30 million to the Cardinals, Cubs, or Yomiuri Giants.

Famous Movie Quote: That John Denver’s full of shit, man. – Jim Carrey from Dumb and Dumber

Dumb and Dumber and Anchorman may be the two most quotable movies of my lifetime. (All apologies to Wedding Crashers, Blazing Saddles, and Dazed and Confused.) As far as I am concerned, Dumb and Dumber II never happened, kind of like Godfather III and the last 3 Star Wars movies. (Thanks for ruining my childhood George Lucas!) The Colorado Rockies are hoping for a strong follow up to their 83-79 campaign in 2010. With Tulo, Ubaldo Jimenez, and Carlos Gonzalez, this team is built to win now. 2011 prediction: 90-72, 1st place NL West

view from Corbett Field courtesy of @desertsamurai31

View from Spring Training: 2011 Detroit Tigers

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2011 Detroit Tigers

NFL Equivalent – Oakland Raiders: I can remember a time back in the early to mid 90’s, when the LA/Oakland Raiders were the epitome of urban/gangsta rap brashness. After all, a prerequisite for membership in NWA was whether or not you could pull off the Raiders cap. Al Davis may be the face of the franchise today, but back then, Ice Cube represented Raider nation best. For some reason I feel like at one time or another the Tigers hat carried a similar street cred. Call it the Eminem effect. Or maybe it chalk it up to one Magnum P.I.

Google Search: After Detroit won a bidding war for the services of prized free agent catcher/first baseman Victor Martinez, all was well in Tigertown, that was until Miguel Cabrera was arrested for DUI in February.  Will the arrest affect Cabrera’s 2011 performance? Can his Tiger teammates trust him when it counts? Is anyone else worried that Cabrera has to deal with some bigger issues than just baseball?

Famous Movie Quote: I love poetry, and a glass of scotch, and, of course, my friend Baxter here. – Ron Burgundy Anchorman

Scotch is one of those drinks that I say I enjoy but really don’t. It seems like most of my friends enjoy a nice glass after dinner, but me? Unless you load it up with a bundle of ice cubes I simply can’t stomach the raw masculinity. Miguel Cabrera doesn’t seem to have the same problem. What was most alarming to me about his DUI arrest is not that he was inebriated but that he was drinking scotch. Doesn’t Florida seem a little warm for scotch? I feel like scotch is a winter drink reserved for the ski lodges of British Columbia. 2011 prediction: 93-69, 1st place AL Central

view from Space Coast Stadium courtesy of @davextreme

Bracketscapes: Dayton, Ohio

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Dayton, Ohio – University of Dayton Arena (1st round: March 15 & 16)

Why your dad would like Dayton, Ohio: I have a few friends who went to Dayton U and swear the middle of nowhere Ohio was a great place to be for 4 years. They say that the school has a tremendous Greek life and an active music scene.  I have never had a reason to visit Dayton and my dad hasn’t been there either, which is sort of surprising because normally he loves all things Wright Brothers.

Signature Food/Drink: Besides a few pizza joints and a steakhouse that prides itself on not taking any reservations, Dayton has very little that would rank on a Zagat guide. The most notable thing about the Dayton food/drink scene are the beer and wine drive-thru’s.  To those of us living in Connecticut, the “Blue Law” state, the beer and wine drive thru is such a foreign concept. We can’t buy beer after 8pm let alone do so without getting out of our cars.

College Basketball History: Dayton has been the host of the NCAA tournament “play in” game ever since its genesis in 2001. This year, with the field expanded to 68 teams, the site will now host a total of 4 games spread out over 2 nights.  I would never argue against more basketball however, what exactly is TruTV and how do I find out if I get the channel?

Bracket Predictions: March 15th: Texas-San Antonio over Alabama State, Clemson over UAB March 16th: VCU over USC, UNCA over UALR.

view from Dayton Arena courtesy of @tracywolfson

View from Spring Training: 2011 Oakland Athletics

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2011 Oakland Athletics

NFL Equivalent – Kansas City Chiefs: Back when I played college baseball, I loathed opposing teams and players that wore white spikes. To me, there was always something pompous about the look, like that player was trying to say that they thought they’re better than you. And you know what, players that wear white spikes are usually all flash and no substance. As far as I can tell, the Oakland A’s are the only MLB team whose players all wear white spikes.  The Kansas City Chiefs wear white cleats as well, but in the NFL it is not as much of an anomaly.

Google Search: The bay was brimming with activity this winter. The A’s signed/traded for solid MLB outfielders Hideki Matsui, Josh Willingham, and David DeJesus. They also added relievers Brian Fuentes and Grant Balfour to their bullpen. On a completely serious note, the club recently announced a fundraiser to take place during their season opening series against Seattle where all proceeds will go towards supporting relief efforts in Japan after the devastating earthquake rocked the country this past weekend.

Famous Movie Quote: Pollution. Crime. Drugs, poverty, disease, hunger, despair – we throw GOBS of money at them and problems only get worse. Why is that? Because money’s most powerful ability is to allow bad people to continue doing bad things at the expense of those who don’t have it. – Ben Kingsley from Sneakers

The Oakland A’s and GM Billy Beane pride themselves on finding innovative ways to stretch the almighty dollar. When you’re a small market team, like the A’s, you must learn to be creative in order to keep up with the big spenders. I never read Moneyball by Michael Lewis – sacrilegious I know – nor do I have any interest in seeing Brad Pitt strut around as Beane in the movie version this summer. My only hope is that the producers found someone like “Stone Cold” Steve Austin to play the role of the Kevin “The Greek God of Walks” Youkilis. Only then would I pay to see this film. 2011 prediction: 84-78, 2nd place in AL West

view from Phoenix Municipal Stadium courtesy of @djmccormack3