The ESPN Years
One thing is for certain, though. No history is written by those noble, valiant, foolish people who hold their tongues and burn their diaries. Supposed stoics are always steamrolled by rumor-mongers and bridge-burners, and what is the reward of silence? To be defined by others.

Game! Of! The! Night! 1/23/2008 - Akron at Kent State
Kent State has the strongest MAC legacy in the past decade by far -- the Flashes are working on a 10th straight 20-win season, and their four NCAA appearances have yielded four wins. Three of those, of course, came during the stirring march to the Elite 8 in 2002, the first such run for a team at this level since the Seventies.

Good Morning Hoops Nation December 2
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- The fact is that sometimes in this business, you just have to kick a little ass. I'm really sorry when my turn comes up, it isn't in my upbringing to upbraid people. But when I announced last week's contest, I thought I could count on folks to be creative on their own. It didn't work, the first batch of entries were either non-existent or weak.

The Diff - Round Two, Day One
Defeating a school with a lot more money to spend on athletics is hard. But two? That's doubly difficult! Until there really are magical beans and fairies and slippers, mid-majors will have to rely on team play, innovative coaching and unexpected individual performances to overcome the big money teams and advance at the Dance. All figures, once again, are from the U.S. Department of Education.

The Boubacar 12/14/2007 (Ginormous Edition)
PAWTUCKET, R.I. -- It had to come to an end eventually, these two weeks of sitting at home, watching basketball, cooking dinner for the Official Wife and digging out the driveway. This weekend, I go out on the road again for a seven-day, eight-game trip through Ohio, Maryland and Pennsylvania.