SZ656

MARCH 20, 2017
BY JIM DAWSON

MARCH SADNESS
Many NCAA basketball fans have seen their March Madness go to March Sadness (I think Bill Reynolds’ ex said that). With the ouster of Villanova (whom I had repeating as champs), many fans Brackets Pools were reduced to rubble. And no chance of winning those pools.

We watch on anyway. The NCAA’s are the best of college basketball. You never know what you are going to see. The upsets. The performances under pressure. The unexpected Star or Goat. In unfolds before us in a 40 minute story that writes its own script.

In the Minnesota-Middle Tennessee game, Gophers coach Richard Pitino made the mistake of getting called for a technical foul near game’s end, but with his team still in it. Middle Tennessee won. It was one of only two upsets on Day1.

Or Vanderbilt’s Matthew Fisher-Davis, his team up by 1, intentionally fouling. The 2 free throws won the game for first timer Northwestern. Julia Louis Dreyfus, whose son is on the Northwestern team, was very happy. Hubby Brad Hall too. Fisher-Davis not so much. We’re all human right?

Many of the games have been well-contested. Arizona was happy to escape St. Mary’s. The Gaels gave the Wildcats everything that they could handle.

I just watched Michigan, which barely beat Oklahoma State, knock out Rick Pitino’s Louisville team. With Wisconsin’s win over Villanova, the Big 10 is looking good. Oh yeah and Purdue beat Iowa St, so the Big 10 is looking very good.

URI made all Rhody Rams fans proud as they took apart the Creighton Blue Jays 84-72. It was primarily that stellar defense (2nd in the country vs the 3, and 2nd in blocked shot %). 5 Rams scored in double figures. URI held Creighton to 7 of 23 on 3’s (.304).
More sadness as Rhody could not hold on to an 11-point lead and fell to the Oregon Ducks. I thought URI had a good chance to win with big man Chris Boucher out (torn ACL). But Tyler Dorsey and Dillon Brooks had other ideas, and were the deciding difference down the stretch. That and getting 22 second chance points. The Ducks outrebounded Rhody by 7.

It was a strange last game for Hassan Martin. Yes he picked up 2 quick fouls and sat a while, but he scored zero points and had zero rebounds in only 14 minutes. That makes me wonder if Martin had some undisclosed injury or illness. This was not the last college game of his career that Hassan Martin wanted.

What had been a strength - 3 point defense - was undone by Dorsey (4 of 5) as he and his teammates hit 7 of 16 (.438). Conversely, URI was held to .273 on 3’s (6 of 22). E.C. Matthews was 1 for 6 on 3’s, and 4 for 14 overall (13 points). Jared Terrell (15 points, 6 assists), Stanford Robinson (21 points) and Cyril Langevine (9 boards) all had strong games. So close and yet so far. Hopefully, URI gets back to the Big Dance next season.

BULLETS
• The other day CBSSports.com had a story on Pablo Sandoval hitting two home runs. Accompanying the story was a picture of Jackie Bradley Jr. Hope CBS got my correction.

• And a while back Bleacher Report (B/R) had a story about Jessica Moran, then a Comcast Sports Reporter who was rumored to have a relationship with Sox manager John Farrell. The accompanying picture was of Heidi Watney, not Jessica Moran. So I alerted Bleacher Report of the error and received an email thank you. The error was repeated the next day.

• So in researching this, I looked up Jessica Moran. Amongst the first five pictures at Google.com is one of Heidi Watney! Who the hell is proof reading this stuff or fact checking?

• Congrats to Nate Leaman and the PC Friars hockey team for making the NCAA playoffs for a 4th straight year. They’ll play Harvard at the Dunk on Friday (4 pm).

• The Pac-12 had only 4 bids but Arizona, UCLA and Oregon are all still in. The ACC had 9 bids (the most) and only North Carolina is alive. The SEC had 5 bids. Kentucky, Florida and South Carolina are still in it.

• The other night I was watching an NCAA basketball tourney game and switching with the Boston Bruins game. The hockey game had constant action. The NCAA game had constant commercials.
EMAIL
Jim,
Great that U.R.I. won their tournament (hanging on vs. that tough VCU team) and is going on to the 'Big Dance'. Rams will have their hands full with Creighton on St. Paddy's Day (4:30p). Also rooting for P.C. to win their play-in game against USC (Marc Winston will be hoping the Trojans win, as daughter Nicole is an alumnus) on Wed. evening.
Darb
Brad, if PC can beat Creighton, so can URI which is a better defensive team. I'm rooting for them both but think URI will go further. .  -   Z

I channeled Jim Dawson last night while watching the Friars. How could the PC coach allow the team to squander a 17 point lead in the second half????
Bill Shea
I did not have PC winning any games after USC. Didn't trust them. An immature group that took hurried outside shots and stopped rebounding. That's how you blow a 17-point lead. It wasn't Cooley's fault. Given that they were picked 9th in the Big East and finished 3rd, there is great promise for next year. Ed Cooley did a wonderful job coaching. In my 3 pools, I have URI going to the Sweet 16 in two and the Elite 8 in the other. They have been playing good man to man defense and can shut down 3's. .-  Z

Hi Jim,
Quiz: The Everly Brothers? Thanks for the"ZINE"
David Annese
David, good guess but No. Thanks for reading and emailing.    -   Z

Hi Jim,
Going to Arizona on Friday to watch Cactus League baseball (if the flight gets out).
Take a stab at the question. My guess is Jan and Dean?
Garry Gillett
Yes, Garry, it's Jan and Dean   -   Z

Re the Red Sox – Nationals pre-season game April 1 at Annapolis:
Jim,
I believe I read recently that the game, per MLB rules, cannot be televised on ESPN.  Will be on NESN & MASN.  I think Pete Abraham may have tweeted it.
Foot Joy
Thanks FootJoy for the correction.  -  Z
    Sportzine is available at jimdawsonsports.com thanks to Buffalo Steve Lenz

THE HOT CLUB
So I told Amanda last week that it was the first Wednesday where I arrived around 5:30 and the Hot Club was bathed in full sunlight. No setting sun. Amanda agreed and said she thought I was early.

Amanda reminded me of the ‘Lumberjacks story’. So I checked and Sarah Bates had told Amanda that a group of ‘Lumberjacks’ would be visiting the HC. But Sarah said that’s what she was told by someone who informed her that the group was headed to the Hot Club. FootJoy had questioned this and found the gentlemen were involved in a Lumbar and Construction Conference in town. See, I believed you, Amanda. Sarah, too.

Talking with Jokin’ Joe about movies and TV series. We agreed that you must have a strong villain that is memorable. He liked John Lithgow in Dexter. I mentioned Lithgow as the villain in Brian DePalma’s Blowout. Then I brought up Javier Bardem in No Country for Old Men. Joe was in accord. We also discussed movies that affect you strongly. My offering was 8MM with Nick Cage. A creepy movie with James Gandolfini as a sleazebag. Jokin’ Joe felt the same How about my readers? Movies with a big effect.

LAST ISSUE’S QUIZ ANSWER
So who’s the duo with the first major hit in a particular rock genre, who scored an impressive sixteen Top 40 hits, were good enough to host an historic rock n’ roll concert film as well as sing the tit1e track to a movie? Why Jan and Dean. Only one person got it – Garry Gillett. William Jan Berry (died March 26, 2004) and Dean Ormsby Torrence had the first surf song to top the Hot 100, Surf City (1963). It was written by Brian Wilson. Other charting top 10 singles were Drag City (1963), The Little Old Lady from Pasadena (1964) and Dead Man’s Curve (1964). Berry suffered severe head injuries when his Corvette hit a parked truck near Dead Man’s Curve in 1966. Berry never fully recovered. The duo hosted The T.A.M.I. Show concert movie (1964) – if you love music, get this DVD. The movie title track was Ride the Wild Surf. Berry’s father William was an engineer and project manager of the ‘Spruce Goose’ and flew on its only flight with Howard Hughes. Jan Berry and Brian Wilson co-wrote most of the duo’s hits.

THIS ISSUE’S QUIZ
This great rock n’ roller once sued both the Beach Boys and Beatles for song infringement and won settlements. He had to do the same with writing credits for his 1st big hit, and eventually won. He had six Top 10 hits from 1955 through 1964. Name?