Baseball Toaster was unplugged on February 4, 2009.
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It's going to be a very long day for me at Staples Center. The first game tips off at 12:20 pm PT between #4 seed Oregon (23-7) and #5 Arizona (20-9). The teams split their two games this year with each team winning on the road. Both teams have been considered Final Four contenders at times this year. But both hit hard times as the season rolled on. Arizona's defensive struggles and lack of depth hurt them. As for Oregon, a favorable home schedule early got them off to a good start and then they fell and fell hard. The Ducks managed to beat UCLA once and Washington State twice, but lost to Washington twice also. That is if you interpret the word "twice" in the previous sentence to mean "once." Kids today and their crazy talk.
The second game should start around 2:50 pm PT between #1 UCLA (26-4) and #8 Cal (15-16). The Bruins beat the Bears twice this year. UCLA beat Cal in the final last year. This year the Bruins shouldn't have too much trouble against a banged-up Cal team that doesn't have much going for it other than jacking up three point attempts. Cal did have a 34-2 run at one point Oregon State Wednesday night in its opening round game.
After that, Staples Center gets cleared out and I go forage for food and then head back in.
The third game starts at 6:20 and matches #3 USC (21-10) and #6 Stanford (18-11). The Trojans and Cardinal split their season series with each team winning at home. Both teams are coming in on a downward trend. The Cardinal have lost three of their last four and the Trojans lost their last two games. This game will eliminate a lot of the contestants in the Griddle contest. It's a tough game to handicap. The Trojans will be slight favorites as they are playing closer to home and are healthier.
The final game will start around 8:45 and matches #2 Washington State (24-6) and #7 Washington (19-12). The Huskies scrapped out a win over Arizona State Wednesday night and will try to avenge two regular season losses to the Cougars. The Cougars won by 28 in Pullman and by 4 in Seattle. Outside of conference play, the Huskies have no notable wins. Both teams played Gonzaga early in the year. The Huskies lost to the Zags by 20 and the Cougars won by 10. UW was playing in Spokane, but Wazzu was hosting Gonzaga in Pullman.
And now updated picks. Incorrect entries are in strikethrough and the points were deducted from your possible total.
There were no changes in the scoring rules.
Not true. The Ducks were 1-1 against Washington. They lost twice to USC.
But I so loved the smell of rotting food.
Picking that 5-12 upset isn't so tough - until you don't know which teams are playing in the 5-12 game.
After a little delay finding a place to park and then wondering if my car will be smushed by the hulking SUV parked near it, I got to my seat just after tipoff.
I am on the Oregon end of the court, although neither team has a whole lot of fans. More than ASU though.
This is the blue half of the bracket as all four teams wear blue or a color that is made from blue
Tonight will be the red half as all four teams wear red or a color made from red. Washington wearing purple is very convenient for this purpose.
Didn't that logic apply across the board?
Everybody sang the words except for the Stanford guy who just went "un un unn unnh" to the beat of "All Right Now."
I think it's "Mighty Oregon". It's a catchy tune.
Here are the current lyrics:
Oregon, our Alma Mater,
We will guard thee on and on,
Let us gather 'round and cheer her,
Chant her glory, Oregon!
Roar the praises of her warriors,
Sing the story, Oregon,
On to victory urge the heroes
Of our Mighty Oregon!
Go! Ducks! Go!
Fight! Ducks! Fight!
Go!
Fight!
Win! Ducks! Win!
The original words to "Mighty Oregon" were as follows:
She is small our Alma Mater
But she rules with strength and right,
What she lacks in mass and numbers
She makes up for in her fight
Oregon is never beaten
'Till the final whistles call.
Who can tell her tale of triumph?
Scores can never show it all.
Oregon, our Alma Mater
We will guard thee on and on
Fellows gather round and cheer her
Chant her glory Oregon
Roar the praises of her warriors
Sing the story Oregon
Down the gridiron urge the heroes
Of our mighty Oregon.
Rally fellows, stand behind them,
They are doing all they can.
Back the team in sun and shadow,
Back the captain, back each man.
They will carry home the vict'ry
To old Deady's hallowed hall.
Give the team the best that's in you.
Give your Alma Mater
Its a 9-team division, in which they finished last, and they got to play the #1 seed in the opening round after beating the #8 seed in a play-in game.
Nice to play 16 conference games to eliminate no one from the conference tourney ...
Money money money
I saw that. That's a bad fight for Tito, but there aren't really many good fights left for him. He either fights complete cans, or guys like Rashad who will probably beat him. I'm kinda surprised the UFC would set that up, given that the loser is gonna take a pretty big hit. Tito's a huge star, and they don't want him losing. But Rashad's on his way up, and you wouldn't think they'd want him losing either.
Tito should probably retire, except he's making too much money now.
Where the rolling foothills rise,
Up t'wards mountains higher,
Where at eve the Coast Range lies
in the sunset fire,
Flushing deep and paling;
Here we raise our voices hailing
Thee, our Alma Mater.
From the foothills to the bay,
It shall ring,
As we sing,
It shall ring and float away;
Hail, Stanford hail!
Hail, Stanford Hail!
At the half, the fouls were even (6-6), but the free throws were infinitely in Arizona's favor (5-0)
I thought people shook car keys at USC fans, not the reverse.
I guess they figure they can always use inexperience as an excuse for Rashad, but the fact is Tito has never been elite, he is just good.
True, Tito has always been overrated. But Rashad better plan on winning prior to a decision.
Cal fans lean more to throwing objects and swearing loudly at USC or Stanford
Arizona doesn't get called for a lot of shooting fouls because they don't contest shots.
I prefer the "blatant official bias" explanation
The Ducks pretty much live and die by the Three. Can they be expected to shoot this well in the next game...?
In the words of Nelson (another band who didn't make the Definitive 200 list), "Only time will tell"
I did wear a green and yellow baseball cap although it wasn't for Oregon.
I will be on the same side as the Straw Hat Band.
The game should start right on time at 2:50 pm. Then we all leave when it's over and go forage. I already have a place in mind.
Cal fans are few here today. It is a big UCLA contingent.
The Arizona fans who are staying look sullen
Protein Berry Pizazz...?
I did wear a green and yellow baseball cap although it wasn't for Oregon.
I will be on the same side as the Straw Hat Band.
The game should start right on time at 2:50 pm. Then we all leave when it's over and go forage. I already have a place in mind.
Cal fans are few here today. It is a big UCLA contingent.
The Arizona fans who are staying look sullen
Protein Berry Pizazz...?
"The Palm" nahh, no time for a 6 lb. lobster tail.
"Fox Sports Grill", no, possible Paul Wesphal sigthing.
Maybe he is going to "The Liberty Grill", I have heard good things, it is located at 1037 Flower St., (213) 746-3400
Trying again, everybody picked UCLA to win. There are, I thinkN four people who have picked Oregon to beat UCLA.
UCLA...?
USC
Next up WSU.
Bear feet...?
Shocking. I just read the article about it. Apparently it was an inside joke between the players on the team to give out the nickname "White Nation" to a few players on the team.
Nice win for Oregon, but it won't matter when UCLA blows them out.
I really underrated Tajuan Porter. Can someone explain to me how Chamberlain Oguchi received a basketball scholarship?
Hopefully we can keep this up for the rest of the game while I'm in class for the next couple of hours. Go Bears!
b) UCLA is starting to remind me of that No. 1-ranked Stanford team that peaked too early in the season.
The only time the one seed lost its first game was in 2003 when UCLA upset Arizona in OT.
And if USC loses too, then just get ready to stretch out.
Yeah that was a ticky-tack foul on Aflallo, but he should no better. When an offensive player i trying to push off, you don't reach in and make it look like you inintiatted the contact. Aflallo should have laid off there and drawn the foul.
#1 seed in the NCAA is looking awfully shaky...
UCLA still isn't playing great but they're coming back.
It is always the same USC guy. The Oregon singers were three middle-aged women wearing home made Maarty Leunen tshirts.
It is always the same USC guy. The Oregon singers were three middle-aged women wearing home made Maarty Leunen tshirts.
They must be related to Leunen.
UCLA can not allow Cal to get another open 3.
First team to lead by four or more in OT wins!
Sorry.
But an Oregon win tomorrow will be worth less
"Fear the turtle?
You're not going to believe this.
I'm in a hallway in the bowels of the St. Pete Times Forum, and it's just the two of us -- me and him, heading toward each other. We instantly recognize each other from our time together at Comcast Center. He in his shell, me in my heels.
Our eyes locked. I thought it was going to be friendly.
"Hey, I recognize you," I told Testudo, Maryland's mascot.
All I saw from him was one of his furry fingers.
Now, I can't tell you for sure which finger it was, or how many this turtle even has, but I must admit I spent my brief time in the ladies' room wondering what just happened.
A wave would have sufficed. I'm not sure what to think, other than now, I think I fear the turtle."
http://tinyurl.com/3766zg
More people took the Huskies than the Cougars.
I'm in the walkway eating my dinner, we cannot go to our seats until they are done cleaning. There was no place to eat outside in a timely manner.
I now have on a WSU sweatshirt over my UCLA shirt as it is still cold here. Someone should tell people that the Kings aren't playing tonight.
Although it is the PA announcer for the Kings working the games.
but yeah, syracuse isn't bad but i am ready to get out of here. it's kind of a dull post-industrial town in the middle of nowhere.
That could lead to a lot of airtime for the Trojan band.
Tomorrow I wear the Berkeley sweatshirt.
ugh, that sounds awful. The girl I know loves to snowboard; I think that's part of the reason why she chose 'cuse.
Why Syracuse for grad school? I could never live on the East Coast :)
Tomorrow I wear the Berkeley sweatshirt.
Does your Redding sweatshirt not fit anymore?
I dislike both bands. Unfortunately I think I'd rather have Stanford cancel out USC's rather than hear USC's stupid band all day long. At least it's not like football where USC's band goes off after every single play.
The Trojans are 2-1 against the Cardinal in the Pac-10 tourney.
Alfred Aboya and UCLA didn't except a game from California
Okay, maybe not.
To cheer for UCLA?
I go to Division II games at my school, but that's mainly to support friends I have on the baseball/basketball team.
Do you need to camp out for Ducks basketball tickets? I'm sure I'll go to almost all of the football games.
Absolutely not, though my friends can tell you about an infamous occasion on which I was fed up with a particular Oregon-UCLA football game (with Cade McKnown at QB) and started rooting for UCLA.
Do you need to camp out for Ducks basketball tickets?
I doubt it. I don't know how it works now, but it used to be that you would go show your ID at the EMU (Erb Memorial Union) and they'd give you a ticket. The tickets get you into the student section, which is first come first served, so if you want a good seat you get there early and stand outside before they open the doors. For the big games, I think people would get there an hour before the doors open.
I was kidding, well kind of. I don't think I could ever cheer for another team over UCLA in basketball. Even my dad, who is a Maryland alumnus, cheers for UCLA. For football, I really wouldn't mind changing allegiances.
For the big games, I think people would get there an hour before the doors open.
Would that leave me enough time for pre-gaming (if it's an afternoon game)?
178- that makes sense. Syracuse is a good school; I just don't think I'd be able to handle the weather back east.
Not exactly sure what "pre-gaming" means, but I assume it includes consuming spirits and such
Yeah, or Minnesota. Yuck. I like Oregon weather.
Bay Area 2
L.A. 0
No doubt they are here to show EQUAL support for their Northwest brethren later.
Wazzu is having a big party tonight.
It's possible. After all, Taj Gibson is a freshman on the basketball team.
OT...again. Go Cardinal!
The Stanford players can take solace in knowing that they are winners in the classroom. :)
If the final is USC vs. Oregon and USC wins, Tom Meagher would win.
If the final is USC vs. Oregon and Oregon wins, the winner would be ... wait for it ... Trojan Ron.
If the final is Washington State vs. Oregon the winner would be Vishal, no matter who won the championship.
If Cal makes it to the final against USC and USC wins, I have a three-way tie to sort out and I've decided that Tom Meagher would win the tiebreaker over the two guys because he had more teams correct in the quarterfinals.
If Cal makes it to the final against USC and Cal wins, there would be a tie between D4P and Trojan Ron and there is no real good tiebreaker I could use, so I'd likely just give them both the prize mainly so D4P wouldn't bother me for the rest of my life.
If Cal makes it to the final against Washington State, and Washington State wins, Philip Michaels win. He would be tied with Vishal, but win the "picking the right champion" tiebreaker.
If Cal makes it to the final against Washington State, and Cal wins, then Vishal wins.
He's trying to climb to Toaster #6!
Even though he picked Oregon?
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