Slammin Sam's Sweet 16 Links

It’s Thursday, and of course we’re talking Tourney here at Slammin’ Sam on Sports Media and Free Keon. Let’s get right into it with reports from each of the four regions.

Bernie Miklasz extends his best hospitality and good luck to Midwest Regional teams. They’re going to need it.

Gotta plug my friend Kurt Kragthorpe’s story about the Xavier-K-State rematch in Salt Lake City. This game figures to be a gritty battle just like Jazz coach Jerry Sloan appreciates.

In Syracuse we have what is setting up to be a battle of foils – good vs. evil, smart vs. dumb, David vs. Goliath – at least that’s what the hype is about. Dan Shaughnessy represents Cornell and is already caught in crossfire. John Clay speaks for Kentucky.

Baylor needs no welcome in Houston. These Bears are the first Baylor team to score a tournament victory in almost 60 years.

Thanks for reading, and remember, don’t let your bracket get in the way of good basketball.

Sam Miller/Free Keon

Make a (Baseball) List and Check it Twice

Slammin' Sam on Sports Media
Isn’t it a great time of year when exhilaration for two sports nears its simultaneous zenith? Yep, here we are again. The NCAA tourney extended an invitation to several Cinderellas for the Sweet 16, while baseball fans are welcome to delude themselves with fairytale endings for 30 darlings.

Today, Slammin’ Sam on Sports Media stops (or at least puts a pause on) the Madness and shifts to baseball.

In 2008, Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman developed an unlikely friendship in “The Bucket List.” As two men stared the end of their lives in the face, they arrived at the same realization. All of us want to look back on our lives with no regrets. Knowing you enjoyed some adventure is important as well.

If you enjoyed the movie, or if those ideas resonate with you, now’s the time to start planning your list. Fortunately “The Baseball Fan’s Bucket List” contains a full season’s worth of suggestions.

Slammin' Sam's Links Tourney Style

The time’s finally arrived, and it’s as if everything else slows to pay homage. Yes, the tourney tips off today, and Slammin’ Sam on Sports Media Links has a report from each regional site. The good news is that the links are sound free. No need to listen to commentators jabber 24-7, right?

We start in New Orleans where Notre Dame and senior Luke Harangody picked the right time to pick up steam.

From a traditional power to an upstart in St. Mary’s, we head to Providence.

As far as I can tell, fans are firmly against tourney expansion. Some would argue March Madness is the best thing in sports. Why change it, writes the Mercury News.

Despite back-to-back NCAA titles, consecutive NIT appearances left Billy Donovan and Florida forgotten.

Eric Maynor’s shot to slay Duke, Nelson and West leading St. Joe’s, and Bob Knight’s final game as a Hoosier all took place in Buffalo.

Are you surprised that Jacksonville is still stuck on Tim Tebow? You might not realize the city has NCAA Tournament action this weekend by reading its paper.

Closer to home, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel features an article on the plethora of options to pursue between games at the Bradley Center.

And finally, Tom Izzo’s Spartans begin the 2010 run in Spokane.

Thanks for reading, and good luck with your bracket!

Sam Miller/Free Keon