TOUGHEST BASKETBALL STATE IN THE USA?

BRACKETOLOGY?
Coaches in the Big East like to say that their teams often don't have outstanding records because they are always beating up on each other. Well, it can't be too much fun playing in North Carolina, either. Last night, unranked N.C. State beat up on Duke, ranked 6th in the nation. Vod has already expressed his opinion about North Carolina, but reputations die hard. In the Tarheels case, they might not die at all, as evidenced by this comment by "expert" Jay Bilas:

North Carolina questions: The defending national champions have had a rough ride of late. They sit at 12-6 and have lost three out of their last four games. Everyone is asking: What is wrong with North Carolina? The young Tar Heels have played a very difficult schedule and lost to Texas, Kentucky, Syracuse, Clemson, Georgia Tech and College of Charleston when shorthanded. North Carolina is young and inconsistent at the guard spot and has lacked some mental and physical toughness. That said, there is no cause for great alarm in Chapel Hill. What North Carolina is going through is normal for younger teams with a lot of personnel turnover. But North Carolina is not used to normal; it is used to extraordinary success. There is still time for North Carolina to make strides and become tougher to beat. And this is an NCAA tournament team. North Carolina is not a great team, but the Tar Heels can be good, will get better and will survive this tough stretch.

A loss to College of Charleston didn't tell you anything, Jay? The Fightin' Hush Puppies (or whatever they're called) have a record of 11-6 with losses to powerhouses E. Tenn St. and Coastal Carolina.
I would say that Vod has a clearer picture of N. Carolina's future than Jay Bilas.

JOHNNY DAMON HAS RETIRED?
According to what I've been reading, the '$13 million a year' is a joke, the '$10 million a year' is a distant memory, and no one is interested in a stop-gap '$4 million for one year' deal. Johnny, you're retired, it's just that no one has told Scott Boras yet. Johnny's last phone call to Scott included the plea, "Take whatever the 'Mystery Team' offers, Scott." Says Scott, "There's something you should know, Johnny..."

WESTCOASTSPORTSBABE:
Tiger Woods now apparently says he’s a “sex addict.” So what’s the difference between a sex addict and most men? Means and opportunity.

At one point in her Senate campaign, Martha Coakley referred to Red Sox World Series hero Curt Schilling as a “Yankees fan.” In retrospect, that may have been when many voters in effect told her to “put a bloody sock in it.” Good idea, does anyone have a red marking pen?
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