From Wikipedia: Irony is a literary or rhetorical device in which there is a gap or incongruity between what a speaker or a writer says, and what is generally understood (either at the time, or in the later context of history). Irony may also arise from a discordance between acts and results, especially if it is striking, and known to a later audience.

In a slight bending of the theory behind irony (and this is not the place for a discussion of what indeed irony means in the 21st century, as much as I'd like to have that conversation with you), a man named Caracter shows he has none by being suspended (again) by University of Louisville head coach Rick Pitino for a violation of team rules. Three games for a Troy Smith loan, and now a game for an unspecified violation of team rules. Throw in the fact that Derrick Caracter has also been critized by his coach for being a 'fat athlete' and you have both a postmodern and a traditional definition of irony in one fell swoop.

Good job, Derrick! You've made some rhetoric and composition grad student's job much easier.

12/21/06 | Posted by Ron | Category NCAA Basketball 13 comments | Permalink | No Trackbacks |

Somebody at the Associated Press is a big "Dirty Dancing" fan. I thought for a second that Bill Simmons was writing about Washington's 88-72 curbstomping of LSU, but it was only one reference to the 80's, and no references to "The Karate Kid" or "Rounders."

Still, that was a scary few seconds.

12/21/06 | Posted by Ron | Category NCAA Basketball 16 comments | Permalink | No Trackbacks |

In what used to be an important match up, Tubby Smith’s University of Kentucky Wildcats defeated Rick Pitino’s University of Louisville Cardinals 61-49 in what was quite possibly the ugliest fucking basketball game since UK’s craptastic defeat of Indiana University 59-54 last week. As a die-hard UK basketball partisan, let me just say that after 1998, I had high hopes for Tubby Smith’s reign. We won a national title (with Rick Pitino’s players). We landed some great recruits.

Then, somehow or another, the train completely derailed. Players started to transfer. Good home-grown players went on to star at other universities (J.R. VanHoose, Chris Lofton). Instead of McDonald’s All Americans, UK started to field starting lineups filled with average (and I’m trying to be kind) junior college transfers and overrated, underperforming “NBA prospects.”

Tubby Smith is a great person. He’s raised millions of dollars for charity. He’s a family man. The University graduates its players and there hasn’t been even a hint of NCAA trouble from the basketball side of the program, and Tubby Smith deserves all the credit in the world for that, but this is the University of Kentucky, and it’s been 8 years since we’ve seen the Final Four.

The University of Kentucky has never gone 9 years without appearing in the Final Four of the national championship tournament in school history.

12/16/06 | Posted by Ron | Category NCAA Basketball 1 comment | Permalink | No Trackbacks |

Are you a College Basketball Fan? Of course you are. Who isn't?

Do you hate Dick Vitale's voice as much as you hate the Detroint Lions management? Who doesn't?

Do you want to watch the game without, "YEAAAH, BAY-BEE!"

Well, according to the Duke Basketball Report, you can.

That's right, all you need is your surround sound with the proper settings tuned to hear the crowd and the floor only. You'll also need a bit of know how to make sure you didn't blow up the speakers. Voila, great B-Ball action. No Dickie V to make you cry.

Thank the Duke guys for doing something right. Now if only they'd stop making us try to suck Coach K's dick...

12/08/06 | Posted by Rich | Category NCAA Basketball 4 comments | Permalink | No Trackbacks |

“The thing I remember about Adolph Rupp is that one time I scored seven points against the ornery son of a (expletive) to help beat him,” Knight said, referring to Ohio State’s 87-74 victory over the Wildcats in the 1961 NCAA tournament. “That’s a lot bigger in my memory than this.”

Happy happys today for one of the most upstanding men in college basketball, Coach Bobby Knight, because, last night, he tied the legendary Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp for second in career wins in NCAA history. Like the man or not, you can’t argue with his amazing accomplishments as a coach and the no nonsense way in which he conducts himself. With a guy like Coach Knight, you get what you expect and what you deserve.

Maybe I’m biased, but I have nothing but respect for Coach Knight. He may have anger problems, and he’s definitely not skilled when it comes to corporate coach speak, but he turns boys into men. His players play hard, his players play smart, and his players graduate. How many other college basketball coaches can you say that about? Few to none.

In an environment where winning is more important than creating successful students, and where sucking up to boosters trumps all, Bobby Knight is a throwback coach. Unlike his pupil Mike Krzyzewski, Bobby doesn’t play to the media or try to project a softer image for endorsement deals. Bobby doesn’t pretend to be anything other than what he is, the second winningest college basketball coach of all time, and a guy more than capable of making chicken salad from chicken shit.

Keep showing the kids how it's done, Bobby.

12/07/06 | Posted by Ron | Category NCAA Basketball 9 comments | Permalink | No Trackbacks |