Please don't expand the tourney field to 96

Here’s why I’m against expanding the NCAA tourney field.  Da’Sean Butler banks in a three at the buzzer last night to give West Virginia a win over Cincinnati.  Ohio State’s Evan Turner drains a 35 footer at the buzzer to give the Buckeye’s a heart stopping quarterfinal win against a desperate Michigan team this afternoon.

Neither one of those two games would have had any meaning whatsoever to the teams involved if the NCAA field was raised to 96.  The conference tourney’s allow any team to win their way into the big tournament.  It’s what makes conference tournaments exciting.

Arizona State saw their tourney dreams evaporate last night with a stunning loss to Stanford in the Pac 10 quarterfinals.  That loss and losses by Memphis and UAB opened the door for other teams to possibly make it in and keep pushing in their tournaments this weekend.

Even a loss by Syracuse yesterday in the quarters of the Big East carries a likely consequence.  No team has ever lost in their conference quarterfinals and gone on to win the national title.  Expanding the field to 96 dilutes the importance of the season, conference tourney’s and rewards mediocrity.  It doesn’t improve the Big Dance.

Alabama gave Kentucky a fight this afternoon but fell in the end.  This game would have likely meant nothing in an expanded field.  The Tide might have already secured a tourney spot with a 17-14 overall record.  Illinois had to beat Wisconsin and did today to keep their hopes alive.  Rhode Island did the same against St. Louis this afternoon but they’re still on the bubble.  Virginia Tech’s surprise loss to Miami today could bounce them out.  But with an expanded field they’re already in. Woo Hoo.

I’m looking forward to a possible rematch of top ranked Kansas and Kansas State in the Big 12 final.  The Wildcats were devastating last night against Oklahoma State.  I want to see if they can keep the run going first against a very good and hot Baylor team tonight and next versus KU.  With an expanded field tournament, who would really care? 

How much is Tebow worth?

No one’s quite sure where Tim Tebow will go in the NFL draft, but one thing’s for certain, the former Heisman Trophy winner is a valuable commodity no matter what his draft position.  Witness the autograph signing session he held last Saturday in Jacksonville, FL.

Tebow signed 500 autographs at $160 per pop and 500 photos at $75 each at a Jacksonville mall, for a total of almost $120,000.  An undisclosed amount of the money due Tebow is going to Tebow’s charitable foundation and Palm Beach Autographs, the company running the signing is also directing a portion of their proceeds to his foundation.

It’s not the only session that Tebow has scheduled this spring and it is a sizable figure, but for anyone who wants to complain about the money Tebow will be making, remember this, people are willing to pay the price.  He’s never made money from all the jersey sales with his name on it that Florida has piled up over the past four years and has been as good a university spokesman that anyone could ever expect.

He’s getting what he’s worth.  I’ve never been a huge Tebow fan, but he deserves whatever the market will bear as long as it will bear it.

Chiefs signing of Jones a big first step

The Chiefs signing of former Jets running back Thomas Jones wasn’t exactly earth shattering news from the financial standpoint, but it was an indication that the Chiefs are serious about upgrading their offense in 2010.

Bringing Jones into the fold, not only gives them a back that can take a share of the load off of Jamaal Charles, it gives them a back that provides competition for who will get the bulk of the carries.  Competition is good.

One of the biggest problems the Chiefs have had in recent seasons has been the quality of depth on the roster meant there was little competition for starting jobs.  For the most part, you had to really stink to lose your starting spot.

Charles is coming off a spectacular half season after taking over for the departed Larry Johnson, but despite his game breaking ability, questions remain over his durability and his ability to perform over the long haul.  Not to mention the fact, in the NFL every team needs two quality backs.

In Jones, the Chiefs have the kind of back they hoped LJ could be.  Consistent, versatile in the sense he can catch passes and block and a player who you don’t have to worry about off the field.  He’s got 10 seasons in the league and last year was his career best in terms of carries (331), rushing yards (1,402) and TD’s (14).  He gives the Chiefs a tandem they can build off of.

With the receiving corps still a huge question mark, Todd Haley and Charlie Weis know they can build their offense around a ground attack that has speed and power.  if the line can do their job on first and second downs, Matt Cassel shouldn’t be faced with so many third and long situations, giving Weis more flexibility in his play calling.

Now if the Chiefs can find a quality receiver in the draft, the offense might be a threat next season.