The Incomplete Sentence
This one begins in mid-1920s Cuba. It was a quarter-century after a bloody revolution dislodged the Spanish, who had imported nearly a million African slaves to the island, from power. Events played before a backdrop of looming American imperial oversight of its lucrative sugar trade, including several temporary occupations to keep the economic status quo in stasis.

Dribblings 1/27/2005 (Silver Lining Edition)
Missouri Valley: Southwest Missouri State 92, Southern Illinois 77 (story) - The homestanding Bears took a 14-point lead into halftime, and stepped on the gas out of the break with an 11-4 run. Despite what the two teams' records would indicate, this was a classically-styled "romp" - a 57%-38% field goal margin and an eight-rebound edge. They also just made SMS' (8-8, 3-6 MVC) entire season.

Pizza Parlor Boasts Dayton Opener Fan Club
DAYTON, Ohio — The NCAA opening round game can seem a weird basketball purgatory, an odd paradox of chaos and convergence. Its existence was made necessary in part by the 1999 splintering of the old Western Athletic Conference in 1999 (into the Mountain West and the modern WAC), and it now takes place every March at a place where major midwestern roads meet. Teams seeded No.

2007 MAAC ShootAround
Loyola digging itself out of the cellarAP Photo/Joseph OliverMichael Tuck is the lone remaining member of that embarrassing 1-27 season. The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference has a very defined Tri-State identity. Nine of its 10 schools are either located within the Empire State's borders or sit a short drive from its unofficial capital of New York City.

Valparaiso
"There's a Popcorn Festival the first weekend of September here in town," said Valparaiso assistant coach Bryce Drew. "It's a huge festival. They close all of downtown, there's a parade. The population here is about 40,000, but about 90,000 come in for the festival. It's a big deal."