We’ve reached a pretty great part of the sports calendar. Top flight college basketball, NBA heating up, baseball right around the corner, and more. It’s all here in this week’s Sunday State of Mind.
Final Four weekend, blue blood city Tar Heels made Duke’s weekend shitty Kansas beat ‘Nova, the final game’s set UNC and KU, lock in those bets
Let’s not forget the women, guess who’s back South Carolina starting a trophy stack Took out Louisville, then beat up UConn Lady Gamecocks have been nothing but on
Can you feel it folks, baseball’s almost here Hot dogs, popcorn, pretzels, beer Warm weather’s coming, so grab your gloves It’s baseball season and we’re in love
NBA regular season is winding down Almost playoff time, handing out a new crown Two big name teams are in serious trouble Nets and Lakers down bad, need wins on the double
We did it, basketball fans. We’ve found ourselves with a Final Four in this year’s March Madness tournament. In this week’s SSM, we outline the blue bloods, Cinderellas, and others left in the tourney.
Villanova is first, a familiar sight Wildcats never wrong when their coach is Jay Wright Had a hard path bracket, beat Houston’s tough D Coach Wright looking for championship number three
Guess who’s back, back again Duke is back, tell a friend You heard that right, Coach K still alive Even better than Wright, K wants to add to his five
Blue blood number three, the Kansas Jayhawks Continue to win in this college playoff Bill Self and his fake hair are are ready to roll He’s two wins away from the ultimate goal
They killed Cinderella, those stupid Tar Heels Ended St. Peter’s run, stopped their wheels UNC, Final Four, what an absolute shock We all wanted to see those feisty Peacocks
We made it, folks. Not just to another Sunday State of Mind, but to March Madness. We dedicate the latest edition of SSM to college basketball’s annual tournament.
Only place to start, the St. Peter’s Peacocks Fifteen seed came to play, major rising stock Beat second seed Kentucky, and then Murray State A classic Cinderella, what makes March Madness great
A big name eleven seed making a little noise Juwan Howard and Michigan, showing some Madness poise A bad regular season, turning it on at the right time Seems like only yesterday, the open hand slap crime
It happens every year, dreaded 12-5 upset This time around Iowa and UConn won’t forget New Mexico ended UConn, Richmond nipped the Hawks That’s why when doing your bracket you just can’t go chalk
Hate it or love it, The Dukies still alive Coach K beat Coach Izzo, the Blue Devils survive This retirement tour does just not seem to end With every win Coach K’s career extends
Enormous exodus day on Wednesday. All in a span of approximately six hours, three of the largest names in the coaching/training profession announced that their respective runs were coming to an end.
Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski, who has lead the Blue Devils since 1980, announced next season would be his last. After Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit tested positive for performance enhancers, Churchill Downs suspended Bob Baffert, horse racing’s most notable name, from entering any races at their track for two years. Lastly, and potentially most surprising, the Boston Celtics announced Brad Stevens would be leaving the bench as head coach and moving to the executive suite as their new Head of Basketball Operations.
All three moves are surprising, some more than others. These three are at the very top of their professions. Any time one of these names are the subject of movement it would be a big deal. We got all three in one day.
But one question remains: who will you miss most?
The thought of a Coach K farewell tour honestly makes me ill. Not to take away from five national championships, 12 Final Fours, and three Naismisth Coach of the Year awards…but can we all agree that the guy is a little full on himself? Like the time he (while on medical leave) brought his team to his house to rip them, or lecturing opposing players in the handshake line after a game, or answering student reports with max smarm and condescension.
What about Bob Baffert? Surely can’t take away from his impeccable resume; seven Kentucky Derby winners, same number of W’s at The Preakness, three victories at the Belmont Stakes, and most importantly two Triple Crowns. CNN does a great job outlining his shady history here, same with SI here, and Horse Racing Planet here. TLDR; the guy always seems to find himself in trouble.
Now Brad Stevens…this is a different story. Widely appreciated as a top basketball mind, Stevens will take on the new challenge of putting the team together off the court instead of coaching them on it. He’s had a pretty high level of success at both the collegiate level as well as the NBA. He made a Final Four/NCAA Championship game with Butler (yes, Butler), and made the playoffs in seven of eight seasons in Boston, three of those years making it to the Eastern Conference Finals. The guy doesn’t even have a “Controversy” section in his Wikipedia page for God’s sake, he’s clean as a whistle.
This seems like a pretty clear cut decision here. Coach K and Bob Baffert can kick rocks, they can both take their weird old guy hair (I’m just bald/jealous) and get the hell out of sport fans’ lives. But Brad Stevens…sweet, innocent, nerdy Brad Stevens…we will all miss you. Even though you’ll still be around, you’ll be behind the scenes, and not trolling the sidelines with a pocket protector and suspenders. We hope that this new position absolutely blows up in your face and you decide to get back on the court and in front of the camera soon, you sweet, baby-faced little scoundrel.
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