Changing college sports as we know them

Today–March 26, 2014– is the 35th anniversary of the Magic Johnson/Larry Bird title game in the NCAA tournament. I remember watching that game as a ten year-old kid in Springfield, Illinois. It was broadcast on NBC, instead of on CBS. There was no three point stripe, no shot clock, and no possession arrow. The NCAA

April is here at last

It’s finally April, at least on the calendar. It feels like April was here a few weeks ago, or maybe like April never came at all this year. But no amount of warm weather could bring the baseball season any earlier. Spring training is an annual ritual, which must be carried through to its completion.

Going bracketless this year

2012 is the first year in a very long time that I have no NCAA tournament bracket sheets to keep up with. The four-day college basketball orgy that started today, and continues through Sunday, is as big a ritual as there is in contemporary America. There’s always an office pool, or an online pool, or

RIP, Lorenzo Charles

You have to be, let’s say, of a certain age to appreciate what Lorenzo Charles did. He wasn’t a household name as an NBA player, and in today’s world that seems to be all that matters. No, Lorenzo Charles belonged to another time. And now, sadly, he belongs to wherever it is people go after