And finally, one last Sampson item before we let that sad story fade into Bolivian - and it involves an old friend of everybody who thinks they are indeed a man regardless of whether they are indeed 40, Ms. Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman. Apparently, she just couldn’t help chiming in on the whole snafu:

For any journalism students out there - take this video as a cautionary whale. If her investigative skills are as robust as her writing style, it would explain why she became famous for a hack piece critiquing a player for eating fried chicken. (And really - who critiques a Southern man for eating fried chicken?) Free advice: similes are like rosemary - delightful for accent when used sparingly, wooden and overpowering when used in excess. (Exception proves the rule, natch.)

Have a great weekend, folks - we’ll be back on Monday.

Is a delicate ballet.

The Game Everyone is Talking About (sort of)

Kings If Just For A Day
#13 Louisville 90, #17 Notre Dame 85

Allegiance and Haterade - they are fickle powers to be sure. Louisivlle football wins, crickets. Louisville basketball wins, I’m cringing in preparation for the next time I have to see Rick Pitino’s preening face on PTI. Yes, Rick, we know you believe in your team. No, Rick, we don’t want to hear you talk abo … NO, RICK, PUT DOWN THE WHITE SUIT. PUT IT DOWN.

Apparently, Slick Rick wasn’t kidding when he said his entire team would improve when David Padgett was back to 100%. Padgett’s 26 points led the Cardinals, who shot 53% from the floor and never trailed in this game thanks to a complete shutdown of Irish sharpshooter Kyle McAlarney. The Irish are still on pace to get a first round bye in the Big East Tournament - a complicated, multiround tournament that relies on icebreaker name games, teen angst, and Madison Square Garden to catch attention.

The Game You Should Have Watched

In Soviet Slovakia, Three Shoot You!
#14 Butler 66, Wright State 61

Julian Betko, a senior from Slovakia, buried five three-pointers in the first half to lead Butler in a bounce-back win after getting depantsed by Drake over the weekend. Betko spend the second half scanning the crowd for spies and assassins while his teammates finished the win. Because spies don’t sleep. They wait.

With an RPI stuck in the 70s thanks to a steady diet of Christmas cookies out of conference, Wright State needed to sweep the Bulldogs to have a case for an at-large - now, it’s league tournament or bust. Which is fitting - because, mid-major with two legitimate good teams or not, I can’t get passed the fact that the league is called Horizon. Lame.

Also - when two good mid-majors play the game of the night, does Kyle Whelliston walk around the house with his dick hanging out? Does the cat look at him funny? These are the questions that keep us up at night.

(more…)