HOLBROOK, NY – Wet. Cold. Spirit-dampening. Am I talking about the weather, the New York Mets, or both? The answer will reveal itself below. And so too will be my thoughts on the the other topics included in today’s session: The Mets Suck! NC State’s Magical Run, Final Four Preview
The Mets Suck!
I would be lying if I said I didn’t have this conjured-up already. Since the beginning of the off-season, the Mets have basically told us, “Not this year.” I’ve tried to remain optimistic during the duration of a long off-season, but the writing was on the wall when the big free agent acquisition was Luis Severino. 
Sure, he looked good in spring and gave some other mets fans some ideas of what this team could be;, scrappy, some good defense, aggressive on the base paths. We have seen none of those things. Yeah, I get it – we’re not even a full week into the season.But Jesus, this feels like the Wilpon Era Part Deux! You know, where there is nothing to look forward to and you expect to get embarrassed each night. Not to mention watching the Yankees get off to a great start to rub salt in the wound. The jury is still out but… The Mets Suck!
NC State’s Magical Run
About a month or so ago it looked like Kevin Keatts would be looking for a new job, as his Wolfpack would be missing another NCAA Tournament. Ever since then, though, the power of march madness has been on the side of the Pack. From having to win the ACC Tournament, to beating top seeds like Marquette & Duke. Then they beat another Cinderella in Oakland.
Every year there is a team that just comes out of nowhere to shock the world, and a player who leads the charge as well. DJ Burns has been the center of attention this past few weeks. The Winthrop transfer has been outstanding and has captivated all of college basketball. DJ Horne and Michael O’Connell have been fantastic. Are the Wolfpack a team of destiny? Is everybody named DJ?
That leads us into our final topic for today.
Final Four Preview
It has been some season of college basketball. From the selection committee screwing Big East teams in favor of some undeserving clubs (Virginia, FAU), to the Final Four. Let’s start with Purdue and the aforementioned Wolfpack of NC State. DJ Burns has been amazing in this tournament but he has not faced Zach Edey and the Boilermakers. But it’s not just Edey. It’s also the great guards that the Purdue has – Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer are as good as it gets. March is predicated on good guard play, so I’m going with Purdue to reach the national championship.
The other game? Alabama faces UConn. This may be my favorite game of the tourney. Great guard play? Check. Sears and Estarda for Bama are terrific. Newton and Spencer for Uconn are dynamite. The coaches? Danny Hurley and Nate Oats, who coached together at Short Matt’s alma mater – Buffalo. This game has it all. It would be easy to just pick Uconn and have them play Purdue for all the marbles, in a clash of the titans. However, Alabama presents an interesting challenge for the Huskies… Let me explain: The Crimson Tide take, and make more threes than anyone in the country and if they can get into a rhythm early it could make the game very interesting. Having said all of that, Uconn is just to good. And as much as it pains me personally to admit it, Hurley is a heck of a coach, who has an answer for everything that is thrown his way.
Speaking of throwing things… check this out.
