EPISODE 93
Apr 12No guest? No problem! Shorty and Dizzle rock the two man show again this week. The dynamic duo supplies you with the most important sporting news from the week. Masters break down, NBA/NHL playoff preview, and the worst uniforms you have ever seen. Grab a beer and enjoy Fear and Sporting in Las Vegas.
EPISODE 92
Apr 05A National Champion has been crowned! Congrats to the 98% of you that picked Kentucky to win the tourney (Ballsy). Shorty and Dizzle give a brief recap of a not-so-great big dance and the awesomeness that is Calipari. The guys will also provide a MLB preview. Only 162 games to go!!
EPISODE 91
Mar 29Time to break out the spandex kiddies. This week on Fear and Sporting in Las Vegas, Shorty and Dizzle bring in the top mind in the world of WWE. As the week of Wrestlemania is upon us, who better to bring in than a new guest with a well of knowledge about all of your favorite sweaty men? Please welcome Mr. Ryan Reason!!!
The Short and Stupid Show - Episode 91EPISODE 90
Mar 28
Hey kiddies, we’ve had a little plastic surgery as of late, hence our two week recovery hiatus. We feel so good about our new look, we decided to change our name as well (world peace style). From hence forth we shall be known as “Fear and Sporting in Las Vegas”. cool huh? Oh yeah, Peyton Manning is a donkey.
The Short and Stupid Show - Episode 90Thirsty Thursday – Our Last Stop in St. Louis
Mar 15
PHEW!….this has become a much larger ordeal than originally anticipated but here we go (again, with the bud light…actually the games start in 2 hours so what the hell). Here is the last analysis from our 4 day tour through the first round or second round if you are LDS. Today we are rounding it out in the MIDWEST region following Vermont’s victory and Cal’s collapse in the play-in games. We will try to find some upsets while holding true to our MWC faithful as we find San Diego State in the 6 seed playing in Columbus. Starting off…
(1)North Carolina and aforementioned (16)Vermont. There isn’t enough maple syrup in the world to slow down the ‘ol boy’ Roy Williams and his Heels. UNC has been questioned recently while awaiting the status of John Henson, their complement bean stalk in the middle. With our without it does not seem like a stretch to move UNC forward.
(8)Creighton meets (9)Alabama in Greensboro. This has become one of the more favorable mere-upsets in the first round. Creighton should change their nickname to the Doug-jays because they are a one man (powerhouse) squad who can become very easily beaten if the rest of the team is challenged. Their 3 losses: Doug converted 48.9% vs. his team at 37%, one man can’t win a tourney game. Bama is lean and athletic and hungry under their young, no-nonsense coach. A little aggressive D goes a long way. Roll Tide.
(5)Temple faces limp-in (12)South Florida. The Owls have quite a few very good guards that pass and shoot well enough to play the Bulls. With wins against tourney teams like the Shockers, Duke, St, Louis and Xavier, this team is poised to raise a little ruckus. South Florida on the other hand did not play well in the Big East only has a win over Louisville to show for it. Plus, their leading scorer only averages 9.6 ppg. Not a good recipe for a tourney team. Temple shall hoot on, or just win whatever.
(4)Michigan and (13)Ohio to battle in Nashville. Michigan is another team with good guard play and only have 2 losses to non-tourney teams in Iowa and Arkansas. This program hasn’t had this much attention due to the 30 for 30 special in a while so it will interesting to see how they fare. The first round shouldn’t bother them even though Ohio has become some what of a sexy upset. The Bobcats do not shoot very well and besides a loss to Louisville, they haven’t played anyone worth mentioning. Maize and Blue.
(6)San Diego State in a coast battle with (11)North Carolina State. Both these teams are ‘OK’ in the grand scheme of things. Neither have any questionable losses or real impressive wins. SDSU is not the team they were last year with White, Gay and Leonard. NC State, however, has just come off an impressive run at the ACC title just slightly falling to UNC. When it comes down to this type of matchup I usually refer to the strength of conference and unfortunately the ACC wins. NC State in an upset.
(3)Georgetown goes grizzly with (14)Belmont. This has been a surprisngly popular upset given the teams involved. Last time the Hoyas played Belmont in the first round they made it to the Sweet 16. Georgetown is clearly more talented however I question there offense as of late only averaging 64 pts/game which is 5 less than there season average and includes 2 overtime games. The Bruins one the other hand played Duke and Memphis well early but then nothing to speak of. In the press the Hoyas seem pumped and prepared to make a run. I say they beat Belmont and advance.
(7)Saint Mary’s versus (10)Purdue. I don’t really want to analyze this game. Like I mentioned yesterday, I don’t like WCC teams, they never come through. But, Purdue STILL weighs their success heavily on the bum knee of Robbie Hummel. If we went to conference play alone, you have to pick Purdue. I like Painter and hope Hummel can LEAVE college ball behind with a win. Boilermakers.
(2)Kansas and (15)Detroit. There has been some trending over the supposed under-seeding of one Detroit team. Trending so far as to suggest Detroit could take down the giant. But I believe that this may be the most under-rated Kansas team they have had recently. Two pro prospects in the lineup, Taylor and Robinson, and they do everything very well. Also, the Jayhawks only have 6 losses all coming from tourney teams. Detroit has many troubling losses and shoots the long ball badly. No Titans, Rock Chalk.
Well, that wraps up the first round analysis of the 2012 NCAA Tournament. Hopefully you will stay tuned for tommorrows look at the first round winners and potential turns in the Madness fabric. Till next time.
Waldo Wednesday – Back to Boston
Mar 14
Can I just say first that I am very glad I chose to evaluate the WEST regional before the EAST. Welcome peeps to day 3 of 4 of the 2012 NCAA Men’s Basketball Bracketology Special. I am definitely giving this bit a new name every day, I should probably read my own work after I finish it. First things first, the MWC has not been represented in this region so we will move on to the next most important news which was released yesterday. Fab Melo, the benchmark of the Orange defense will NOT be available for the tourney for reasons unknown to us. If I had to guess, it probably has something to do with Brazil’s awesome public school system.
Starting us off (1)Syracuse meets (16)UNC-Asheville in Pittsburgh and Melo or NoMelo, Syracuse will not be beaten by the UNC step-child. Some stats: Syracuse plays in the Big-East where Asheville plays in the Big-South…nuf said. Plus, Asheville has loses to Coastal and Western Carolina, those are home state games, not good. Also, they can’t rebound in the Big-South. Syracuse will not become the first #1 to lose in the first round.
(8)Kansas State versus (9)Southern Miss is an intriguing match-up…wait a second no it isn’t. So Miss is a surprise to be in tourney for me and is extremely overseeded. Their two top scorers don’t convert over 400 and with losses to Denver, Houston and Marshall twice, this team will fail to compete with K-State. The Cats on the other hand have a psycho for a coach and hit the offensive boards like no one else. Look for the purple shirts to advance.
(5)Vanderbilt and (12)Harvard, we are at another 5 – 12 matchup and this one is a cinderella. Harvard could win this matchup however Vandy is becoming everyone’s UCONN of 2012 with their run through the SEC tourney and their upset of Kentucky. If the Commodores can keep scoring and not give in to Harvard and their Princeton offense…they will move on. I am taking Vandy here.
(4)Wisconsin prays for rain against (13)Montana. These are the matchups that I like. These have the real pressure, screw 5 – 12. Wisconsin is great in the regular season but stink in the tourney, I call them the Athletics of College Ball. Wisconsin hasn’t been doing anything well lately and Montana is on a killer winning streak. But the Big 10 is the best league so I am not picking against them for a team in the Big Sky. Let’s just say I wouldn’t be surprised, Wisconsin moves on barely.
(6)Cincinnati and (11)Texas is a game people are spending time thinking about but not so much for me. I have thought for a while that Cincy was a great athletic team but not very skillful and if they ever got it together they could do damage i.e. Big East Tourney. In addition, Texas’ best player isn’t shooting well and he has a broken face. I think Cincy continues it cinderella run through the first round.
(3)Florida State gets a great draw in (14)St. Bonaventure. Talk about shouldn’t be here, the Bonnies have envoked the best rule in the tourney, win your conference, go to the ship. But that doesn’t make them any good. The Noles on the other hand are now able to ease into the tourney and prepare themselves for muscle flexing. Florida State basketball is the talk of 2012 not football.
(7)Gonzaga against (10)West Virginia. I am so sick of believing that one of Mark May’s teams are going to be any good. The mountain men have a legitimate NBA prospect in Kevin Jones and with Huggins at the helm no one from Spokane will advance to the second round. I predict an early exit for the Zags once again.
(2)Ohio State will face new comer (15)Loyola of Marylard. I don’t know a thing about this Loyola team other than what I have heard on the Tony Kornheiser podcast and that isn’t very promising. The Buckeyes will move on to face West Virginia. Not much else left to say other than Buckeye fans better hope Sullinger has some stock in this tourney. If not, could be an upset a brewing.
Ok, sorry for the abrupt analysis but this shizz doesn’t pay the bills. I am sure you are all surprised by that. Time to sign off but go to the Facebook page and sign for the bracket challenge its titled Short and Stupid Show because I am very original. Till next time.
Taco Tuesday – Road to Phoenix
Mar 13
This is day 2 of 4 of the 2012 March Madness bracket breakdown hosted by your favorite brane, me. Yesterday we looked at the SOUTH region and analyzed Kentucky’s dominance and whether or not the slightly-over-mediocre teams such as Baylor, Duke or our beloved Rebels can rise to the occasion and snuff the giant. Today we move on to the WEST regional and find quite a different scenario here. The MWC Champion New Mexico Lobos and the Colorado State Rams reside in this quarter and for as many questions the Lobos raised while burning down the castles of Vegas and San Diego, the same if not more have been raised about this bracket. With that said, I kept the foreplay short to allow for more in depth analysis of each first round game…so here we go! (stop bringing me bud light, it’s 8:30 am pst)
(1)Michigan State takes on (16)LIU-Brooklyn in Columbus where Sparty fell to the Ohio State only to turn around and beat them one week later in the Big 10 Tourney and take home the crown. I love Michigan State because they remind me of UNLV, they both have a big man who can stretch the floor but don’t always demand the ball as much as they should. Green can make himself a lottery pick starting in this round. Michigan State has some questions but not in the first round…Spartans roll.
(8)Memphis competes with (9)St. Louis U who has always been on my top 10 best mascots list. However, the Bilikens have a very steep hill to climb here in my opinion. Neither team has a single impressive win, but Memphis has pro-caliber talent from the Calipari era and are extremely efficient from the field. As you know, the only stat that really matters at the end of the game is points and Memphis will make them when it counts.
(5)New Mexico looks to sink (12)Long Beach St. Now if you have any experience in bracketology you have probably heard that you MUST have atleast one 5 – 12 upset on your bracket and choosing correctly rises you to tourney rock star status. But, we at SnS must keep our MWC love in tact and not under-value our brethren. Therefore, even though this is becoming the go to 5 – 12 upset, I refuse to believe that beating SDSU and UNLV twice plus the MWC title means nothing. These 49ers will go home with empty pans.
(4)Louisville and (13)Davidson, the after school playground fight between Louis and David. Louis has been stealing the hearts of tourney lovers for years now and almost always ends up stomping on them. While, David’s shining moment came early with a convincing upset over then #11 Kansas, he hasn’t played anyone worth mentioning since then. Louis is coming off a Big East tourney title spoiling it for the likes of Marquette, the Irish and a Cuse-beating Cincy team. Look for Louis to leave David crying.
(6)Murray State and (11)Colorado State head to head in Louis’ hood. Finally we get to talk some cinderella stories. Up till now we have had the usual suspects but its time to find out if Murray State is in fact Keyser Soze. Murray State went one day without diarrhea from running the table and has 4 wins against tourney teams…is it enough? I say no, but the Rams from Fort Collins probably don’t make the tourney if the Buffs don’t win the PAC-12 and the Lobos slide to SDSU in the title game. Murray races on.
(3)Marquette will beat either (14)BYU or Iona. Someday these new play-in games will produce some drama but it won’t be on this day. With the DOJO and J.Cro, most likely NBA prospects, on the floor Marquette will advance to the second/third round…whatever it is called now. There is really no reason to keep writing anything but I don’t want you to feel short-changed. This team is legit and is looking to do damage this year + they have a coach named Buzz…hello?
(7)Florida travels to tornado alley to meet (10)Virginia. Now despite the on slaught of praise one of my colleagues continues to give Florida, I believe they are far from the Brewer-Horford-Noah days and will decline to enforce their will on opponents as Coach Donovan would prefer. However, Virginia is a special case, on paper you could make the argument that they should have been left out entirely but if they get their game on they could win. So, for the sake of no upsets proposed yet, I am taking UVA.
(2)Missouri stands tall over (15)Norfolk State. This will be the day after headline but for blog-post sake here are the facts. Mizzou is converting over 50% as a team, they have 6 win against top 25 (many were considered upsets), the leading scorer Denmon is a 90% free throw shooter (extremely under rated stat) and they have an ultra-hungry coach in Frank Haith. Norfolk State has beaten no one and has losses to schools at the bottom of the MEAC…not good. Don’t get crazy, the Tigers are moving forward.
OK, well that is the WEST regional first round games broken down, I was surprised how ‘chalk’ I went but trust me the ‘LIN’sanity from this bracket will come in the later rounds. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s analysis of the EAST regional. Will I pick more than one upset? How about a possible sleeper? The answers and more tomorrow. See you then.
Also, go to the Facebook page and sign up for the bracket challenge and try to beat the SnS experts.
Monday Macrology
Mar 12
This is the easiest post to write every year. There is only one thing happening in the news that matters and it’s the madness, let it pour over you. It is March and you all should know what that means, college basketball. It is a fantastic time for men who love bbq, beer and basketball. Being an alumnus of the great UNLV, I am proud to announce that the Rebs have been selected to this year’s tourney and were awarded the highest seeding since the championship years of the early 90s. So, in the spirit I am going to share my analysis with the world, breaking down one region a day. Today, we will start with the home squad.
UNLV has been sent to the South regional bracket with Kentucky and Duke flanking either end. Many early bracketologists were predicting higher seeding for the Rebels however, a shotty road record and a semi-final exit in the MWC tournament has slipped them to a 6 – 11 matchup with Colorado. The Buffs had a 23-11 record and only made it in because they captured the PAC-12 title. Now, since the Rebs are atrocious on the road, the tourney was a little worrying for me but the first round game is in Albuquerque. We have played there once already this year and hopefully that gives us an advantage.
The Buffs beat out a tired Pac-12 field and had losses in the season to Air Force and Wyoming. These teams have been handled historically by UNLV. All signs point to a victory here however if the team that only scored 45 against New Mexico shows up, then the Rebs could be on the early bus back to Vegas. We need to do what we do best…RUN! Here are the rest of my analysis for the SOUTH region round one. If it denoted with an (IM) then it is an Interesting Matchup and requires further research:
(1) Kentucky will roll, doesn’t matter who they play
(9) UConn should beat (8) Iowa State but I have a feeling this game comes down to free throws and neither are any good (IM)
(5) Wichita State over (12) VCU…this is not the same VCU team from last year and the Shockers have impressive wins
(4) Indiana is shaky and they rely on a freshman but never trust the WAC or (13) New Mexico State
The players at (3) Baylor couldn’t even tell you where (14) South Dakota St. is located (i.e. OUT OF THEIR LEAGUE)
(7) Notre Dame and (10) Xavier (IM) neither team is any good but one will leave this tourney with a first round win
(2) Duke trumps (15) Lehigh…I think I would rather watch these two play lacrosse
Till tomorrow peeps…P.S. you should be on your 3rd bracket by now. Join the Short and Stupid Show bracket challenge, link to come.