Brakket Knotes Friday Morning Edition!

Looking at the KUBE Stats this desolate but balmy Friday morning in the Lou, one is filled with a sense of awe (in my case aw shit). My best bracket is currently tied for 123rd and my worst weighs in at 399...barely on the board at all. Every year at this time I kick myself for not having advertised an option to have yourself removed from the kontestant list for an additional 10 bucks. In my case, right now, money well spent.

As the KUBE has grown to it’s kurrent unsustainable size we have ended up with people KUBE management is either totally unfamiliar with or because of alzheimers, booze and drugs we have forgotten who (or whom) they are. Such is the case with our initial standings (after one day). Brooke Sanders or Sanders Brooke as we know her is in the lead tied with Kristopher (with a k, perfect) Eubanks. If you are in the lead after Friday please submit full biographical sketch and advise as to how you entered the KUBE, divined your picks and... tell us if you were a tree, what kind of tree you would be.

The first familiar name to this writer is Andi Emke in at 6. For some reason she did NOT pick Missouri to win it all. Wait till I tell her father of this betrayal. Jane Heine (the brains behind a couple of guys at Moneta) along with Tom (the old one) O Meara represent for our favorite planning empire. For all I know there are several more on the list but since the restraining order Don got against me I am not longer allowed within 500 yards of the building. Awkward. A lot of people question exactly why that happened but there was an incident on Don’s balcony with... well let’s just...mistakes were made.

Celebrity Catholic and sometimes Presidential Candidate Rick Santorum came in at 31. Good job Ricky!

Henry the Cat in at 22.

The formerly big deal “Blue Horshoe” only entered once this year and is currently punished at 105th place.

The Kissam Family... perenial contenders are well represented in the top 100. Not so much for Papa Luke...limping in at 137.

Kube Kommentator extraordinaire...Dan Kukla komes in at 175 on day one proving that there is not always a lot to be said for a prophet in the desert.

Afghani Diplomaci at 234 (yes that will work out)

In the cat fight of the century the KUBE wives are going head to head for the first time with Sandy Becker tied at 245 and Maria...stomping her currently at 65th place.

Former Champ Adam Reed at 73. Long way home from there.

In a surprise from the grave the late Lowell George of the Band Little Feat is at 253!

And finally...tied for last...Winstroer (the family that coined the phrases “I don’t mid if I do” and the klassik, “Sure I will have another” and Laura (yes I married poorly and yes DON IS OUT OF TOWN AGAIN!) Hessel.

This is quite a group and it was a heck of a first day with top seeds holding up in 14 of the 16 games. More today. If there is anyone you would like us to pick on...please advise by emailing wantobecker@mac.com.

KUBE KARNAGE AND KOMMENTS

Sooooo... their comes a Friday afternoon when you are sober and you still have write the KUBE Komments. Boy do I hate that. A couple of things deserve immediate komment. First of all, the pic above is of Don Kukla, who even from his hospital bed at Barnes where he is recovering from the vehicle fire reported yesterday managed to post first day stats! It is that kind of devotion that allows us to pay $10.00 a bracket, for which he takes a meager $8.63 for KUBE Kosts and Sundries. You pay a lot for diligence folks but it is worth it. Without Kukla, painfully manipulating his laptop we would not know that:

1. We have 326 participants! A Knew KUBE rekord! If you do your math with 328 partiicpantsx$10.00 an entry that means that... according to my math we have almost 2100 in pool money and after Don's cut there should be almost 400 left for prize money. Again...great job!
2. We would not have the TOTALLY useless "Initial Projected Standings" which tell us nothing accept that Logan A. picked enough long shots that he should be drug tested.
3. The "projected stats" are also only useful in figuring out that A. Logan picked so many long shots that we do not even need to have him drug tested...because we KNOW he is on drugs.
4. Tyler Warlop (of the Quad City Warlops) is our current leader and out of the box very strong. Additionally my sister Lenore Becker (we call her coin flip) is number 3 with John Steffens at number 2.
5. Drew (the high functioning mentally retarded law student) Burbridge is the most intriguing of our early leaders with San Diego State winning it all. I am hopeful for him because Drew has over 2 million dollars in Grade School, High School, Trade School (he thought he wanted to be a dog groomer, then a massage therapist), College and Law School debt. Good luck Drew!
6. Luke Kissam is number 326 and his family is considering "pulling the plug". Occasionally we lose a kontestant.

It has been a very exciting tournament. And todays games have stayed a little kloser to form. Michigan humiliating Tennessee was the only thing that further prompted ideations of suicide. Arizona squeaked by in their game which was exciting and only marginally distracted me while on a conference call with a klients board of direktors. Right now Ohio State is performing a slow motion execution on Texas San Antonio and I am kontemplating a fish fry to go to.If Texas A&M loses to Florida, my sobbing might be heard as far away as Maplewood. We will see what transpires later this evening and if I am still sober. It could be a hoot.

In the mean time, maintain your personal stoopidity levels and enjoy the night and the weekends games. It is the best time of the year and you are participating in one of the finest, oldest March Madness Traditions in the kountry. God Bless Us Everyone.

KUBE KARNAGE!

Soooo.... this is like... a nightmare. It is 5:45 CST and as near as I can figure out I am at best 4/7 and at worst 4/8... on my best brackets. I jut got off the phone and was informed that one of my sons brackets... where he just copied the picks of one Barrack HUSSEIN Obama were 7/8. How does this make me feel? Butler won. I love them but I split my picks. I love the Richmond Spiders but I was "smart" and went for Vandy. What is the matter with me? Why is God angry with me? I have no answers for these or any other questions. People kept tweeting and texting and emailing me...mocking me! I need people to make fun of me? Louisville loses to Moorhead State? Really? How much does Rick Pitino suck? How could that happen. He has 12 stallions who are 6'9" running the court and he gets beaten by Moorhead State. It was a great game. It was great too seeing Kentucky be pressed by Princeton. I in my Yoda like wisdom said that Duke, Kansas and Ohio State were far above anything else in the field and that anyone could win. But did I listen to me?

NO!

So tonight....Mizzou...if I can stay awake. BYU and Jimmer Fredette? If I had another child I would definitely name him Jimmer. Who is with me?

Kukla I discovered, had flown his wife and daughter back from Mexico (drug mules) and surprisingly his car burst into flames on highway 270. I think we need a serious pause before we pay him for ANY brackets... especially mine. The picture above is an actual picture of the Kukla car in flames. If any of you saw the movie Casino... you know how this happens.

More later...perhaps...unless I fall asleep or pass away from simple depression over my poor picks. Can people die from that?

John Wooden R.I.P.

I believe that my failure to cover these pages has more to do with my over all health malaise then any other issue but I still have a lot to say. For the first time in my adult life I have started to withdraw from the news. I cannot place the exact region but I am experience a fatigue regarding the anger, frustration and self righteousness that I have to read about. Still there is a lot going on and I cant (nor should I) tune it all out.

Today I was moved by John Woodens death. Perhaps he had personal demons, was a bastard to play for, cheated on his wife, was an alcoholic, had kids who hates him, cheated at recruiting, turned away while his players doped... but I don't think so. I don't know though and I am happy about that. How blessed were we (and was Wooden) to have achieved what he achieved before it was the obligation of every media outlet to disclose and debunk him as a hero. An age where players were not such media superstars and prima donnas that they felt like they had a right to talk trash about their coach or reveal his foibles. This guy was a winner of the rarest kind. I am a huge college basketball fan. I do not remember the Lou Alcindor days (though I do recall the uproar when he changed his name) but definitely remember when he was still on a run and was coaching Bill Walton. Walton was a tremendous talent, obviously lost in his life and to see Wooden coach this kid, even as i was a child myself, he had a loving, father like manner to him.

The guy exuded class. never told anyone about how Christian he was and was humble to a fault right up until his death. He stayed married to his wife and likely was faithful to her death. he will be missed. he carried around with him the 7 rules his father gave him and it humbles me to read such simple, perfect advice.

1. Be true to yourself.
2. Make each day your masterpiece.
3. Help others.
4. Drink deeply from good books, including the Good Book.
5. Make friendship a fine art.
6. Build a shelter against a rainy day.
7. Pray for guidance and give thanks for your blessings every day.

If I could do this myself or convince my kids of their merit. I might be a better dad, and person. maybe even a better lawyer.

KUBE MADNESS! EARLY PUSH TO 150 ENTRIES

Sooooo It is all good. Stupid people doing stupid things. Each year you get to be stupid with us for a few weeks. What a treat for you. We might not hit 500 entries. The techno number geeks on Kukla's skwad say the trend numbers are all wrong. ALL WRONG. You heard it here first. Last year I was reviewing my notes and we had 230 entries. We must smash that this year. Last years winner John Winstroer took his winnings and went on a huge year long binge. There was talk of banishing him from this years tournament but according to his wife this is the biggest thing in his life" He is now talking THREEPEAT before he has even won his second kontest. Who are we to deny him his fun.

People are already starting to RSVP for the season ending bash at the depot. Kukla has promised a huge array of food, beverages and entertainment. I have already spoken with Maria and gotten dibs on one of the kids empty bedrooms. What they don't know is that I might never leave. I urge you all to spend Monster Monday at the depot. The KUBE nation needs to come together for it's annual Bacchanalia. Last year there were.... several of us. This year there might even be....chips. But I don't want to lure you in with grand promises. I am just saying I would go to the Depot just for a chance to use the bathrooms there. The mens room attendant is very polite.

So far no one has been able to make changes in their busy schedule to watch the opening tip at 11:20 tomorrow with me. I don't know if it is the threat of my company, the grim specter of beer and mini tacos, or, the threat of my company but right now it looks like like I will be sitting alone, sobbing quietly to myself, somewhere in the city as Florida BYU tips, followed a few minutes later by Old Dominion and the hated Fighting Irish and then Robert Morris v. Villanova. I have no love for Florida or BYU but will give the requisite cheer when the ball is tipped, on behalf of all of you automatons with your jobs and your homes and your families. Not that i am bitter. I am not like that at all.

Tomorrow.... watch out for the Spiders from Richmond.

GET THOSE PICKS IN!

KUBE STAFFERS SEEN HERE PREPARING FOR TIP OFF!

MICHIGAN STATE WINS THRILLER!!!!!!!!

STATE WINS!






Sooooooo.... it is all over and Michigan State shocks the world and beats North Carolina in one of the most exciting NCAA final game of all time. For those of you who went to bed early Michigan State who was down by 25 at one point rallied in the last three minutes with 15 consecutive three pointers, three of which were drilled by their coach Tom Izzo coming off the bench. A shocked Tyler (lower first round at best) Hansbrough sat sobbing on the NC bench like a little baby girl as MSU fans celebrated jubilantly! It was quite a spectacle.

Meanwhile KUBE had it’s annual and now legendary finals party at chez Kukla. The Kukla theatre room could not contain the 200 plus guests including Paris Hilton and the full roster of the 2009 Yankees. Fortunately Kukla has recently added a few bowling lanes and an ice rink Kukla describes as “smallish”. Evidently the rink is large enough for NHL teams but not large enough for European play. Kukla is thinking about litigation but anyway.... The guests were treated with great hospitality as we were served food catered by Annie Gunns.

All guests were treated to their fill of filet mignon and Annie Gunn’s smoked bar-b-q shrimp. Vintage Bordeaux was being poured and Becker disappeared for some period and was found in an upstairs tub fully dressed bathing in a 1961 Chateaux Lafitte. He seemed happy and is likely still there. He was muttering something about Villanova being “the peoples champion”. It was kind of sad and troubling. Hopefully the Kukla’s will not have to call the authorities to get him removed as they had to last year. Mike Johnson when reviewing the spread as it appeared was heard to have commented, “damn”. Well said Mike. David Kowert was leading the group on the skating rink watching on the Kukla jumbotron while drinking 2X4s of Magnum Malt Liquor, skating, wearing a speedo and MSU green body paint while consuming an entire crave case brought by Becker. It was...quite a site.

Eventually Kukla’s neighbors called the police and party wound down around 4:00 A.M. A good time was had by all. When this reporter left Don’s wife maria was sitting sobbing on the front porch of their once lovely home.
Of course the Michigan State win means that John Winstroer won the KUBE! Even if they had lost John would have won do to the fact that he was the only potential winner in attendance, the others having evidently bagged the party after watching the Cardinals CRUSH the Pirates in opening day action. Don peeled Winstroers winnings from a large wad of bills wrapped in an old rubber band he keeps in his front right pocket and Winstroer was last seen running naked across the Greenbriar Hills Golf Course. The video of this should be posted on You Tube later today... or on the “The Big Dirty” which seems to be becoming a family tradition. Even if Michigan State would not have edged out the hated Tarheels, and even if Lurkens would have been in attendance, the Kukla modified scoring system probably would have resulted in a last minute upset so...congratulation John Winstroer. Sorry North Carolina (haters) fans.

You deadbeats who have not paid as of yet...WE KNOW WHO YOU ARE! You will be allowed to play or not play next year at the discretion of the KUBE Koordinator. We also know where your children go to school. You have been warned.

This years KUBE was the best ever. Next year of course it will need to be bigger. In times of economic distress AND economic recovery...America needs the KUBE. I will not be satisfied until we have 500 people playing the KUBE.

Until next year...keep it stupid and remember we are all:

“Stupid People Doing Stupid Things!”

Tyler Hansbrough Kills Baby Cats!

EVIL TYLER!










Soooo... it is Sunday and all the good little kubists have been to church. Despair hangs heavy in wantonbecker land. The bully nazis from North Carolina and that jackbooted thug Tyler Hansbrough beat the crap out of the poor Villanova Wildcars in a game that was to be fair...”never close”. Still these things happen. At the same time Michigan State playing a virtual home-game played over their heads and beat the dreaded man mountains of U-Conn and the much vaunted, transcendent, better then other other league in the country, Big East is...”poof”... gone. It was a fun hame to watch. Even though wantonbecker has a bracket with Michigan State winning it all he still finishes sadly... out of the money.

We are down to two scenarios. If Michigan State wins it is John (the Wizard) Winstroer and if the hated Tar Heels prevail Daniel (I do not know my own name) Lurkins wins. I might take it upon myself to do disparaging profiles of each of the potential champions prior to Mondays game.

It has been a great tournament again. As always the best event in American sports with human drama, underdogs and dozens of great moments. No real Cinderella this year with two 1’s a 2 and a 3 seed making up the final four but that this point Michigan State will be the under dog and will certainly have my cheering interest against the evil, hated and much reviled North Carolina. So BIG TEN v. ACC. GO SPARTANS!

You of course are all invited to chez Kukla for the Monday night viewing party. Please rsvp to our tournament koordinator for a head count but Kukla and Becker will be in attendance so it will be...stupid.

FINAL FOUR!

Soooo our Koordinator has done his normal fabulous job of getting all the scenarios out there. Deeply, deeply troubling scenarios.

Michigan State v. Villanova: Kirby Ott? Monosyllabic last name? Can anyone named Kirby be trusted? Isn’t that a vacuum cleaner?

Villanova Beating Michigan State: Wantonbecker? Four words.... I don’t think so. Mike Johnson is also in the money here. Mike is very excited to finally see Rollie Massimino and Judd Heathcote face off.

Michigan State beating North Carolina: John Winstoroer? For God sakes he is a Democratic. Almost a commie... forget that, he IS a commie.

NC beating Michigan State: Our current leader, Kenny Lurkins (aka Daniel Power) aka creepy and creepier wins.

Connecticut beating Villanova: Wantonbecker again? Like a nightmare with legs he keeps showing up...like a nasty rash....like... well you get the idea.

Villanova Beats U-Conn....once again unlikely and once again that sore...wantonbecker.

U-Conn beats NC : This matchup is the likely match up. Number one seeds and a lot of power. Kenny from Southpark wins again.

North carolina beating U-Conn....Kenny again.

Creepy Kenny and that awful wantonbecker with six of the winning scenarios but creepy Kenny has the best of it with that NC/UConn matchup looking like the likely one. UConn with those two monsters inside changing everything and NC just looked like they are all playing the best basketball of their lives.
In any case. I should be a party.

Stupid people have never done stupider things then this.

We Hate U-Conn!

As Johnny Cash said so well....”Sunday Morning Coming Down”. The snow is lightly on the ground and it is almost April and the weather is as cold a Tiger fan’s heart. Still what a great season. The Tigers out performed all expectations and gave us an awesome season along with a Big Twelve Championship and a Great 8 berth. I was not sure Anderson was the right coach, thinking of him as a poor man’s Nolan Richardson but I was... happily very wrong. I do not think we are going to see any of the seniors pounding around the NBA but who knows. They are over achievers.

Villanova gave us a game for the ages against Pitt and they one it with the dreaded Tyus Edney buzzer beating drive from coast to coast. Watching it happen and this time cheering for the winning team was pretty sweet. By the end of today the final scenarios will become clear. Lurkins/Powers is THE LEADER and it appears that if North carolina plays to form but we are left to ask what kind of winner pics Tyler Hansbrough (who if he had any soul at all would have been a Missouri Tiger) and has to play the KUBE under an assumed name. Wantonbecker continues to pend his diminishing hopes on the Wildcats Cinderella story. Jonathan Curtis, Brent Dolen (who is from Lou-vull) along with professional shark Mike Johnson all are waiting to pounce if Louisville gets it done.

Jake Winegrad with Oklahoma and John Winstroer are waiting to pounce with Oklahoma, Michigan State wins. The race to the bottom has already been won by the evil scheming of Brad Koenmean but others begin charging down as their winners disappear out of the final four. Upsets are really what it is all about and this writer will be cheering for the Sooners and the Spartans as the games tip today. We will see the scenarios tomorrow or perhaps even by the end of the day and then all possibilities will be clarified by our dynamic and talented KUBE Koordinator.

GO SPARTANS!

MIZ....Z...OH....oooooooooh....

Sooooo.... it is Saturday night. Mizzou went down bravely and as I type Villanova is currently stomping Pitt but we have to assume that Pitt comes back and fights the good fight. The important thing is that I have a new computer to type on. Now I need Villanova to win the tournament so that I can pay for it. Unless you want to make donations.

The Missouri game was a good one and they played well. Could not hit the threes but ultimately those two big monsters that U-Conn had inside were too much forcing our Tigers to adjust every trip into the paint. It was hard fought. Becker The Wrecker thought he had a shot with Mizzou winning it all but alas he goes the way of the Memphis and UCLA fans and slinks quietly... into the darkness.

Kukla has not yet updated because they are still playing but Dave Leavitt (who?) is tied for 32nd and is the highest ranking guy now with U-Conn winning it all. It could be one of the greatest moves in KUBE history. Go Dave... whoever you are. Kukla will be posting tomorrow all the final four possibilities. As Pitt pulls to within 2 of Villanova...wantonbecker is seeing his sad little life pass in front of his eyes. de Juan Blair for Pitt looks like he is 30 at least.

If North Carolina falls tomorrow it is going to be lonely at the top and we could be seeing Sherre Flavin charging up with Oklahoma as her pick to win it all. We are well beyond the “anything can happen” stage but we are now solidly within the “anyone can with this thing”... that is if they are still in it.
The best commercials of the tournament:

1. Any E-Trade commercial with that kid
2. The Bud Light commercial where the guy get ejected from the meeting.. and the building.

Worst commercial...Ozzie Osbourne... he depresses me.

Why do all the players have so much ink? Can we assume that they also have lower back tattoos?
John Winstroer...that is right, handsome Uncle John still also has an excellent shot sitting at 37 if the MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS win it all. Go....go Johnny go.

Button up and button down kids. We got more basketball to go. But until we meet again. GO Villanova!

The Calm Before....Da Storm

So as I sit at my desk in KUBE World Headkwarters at 6:00 A.M. Wednesday (the KUBE never sleeps… think unblinking eye of Mordor) I have to reflect on where we are before the maelstrom of tomorrow contests sweeps us away once again with adrenaline. Tomorrow our beloved Missouri Tigers do battle against the poser tigers of Memphis who evidently have not lost a game since the 15th century B.C. KUBE took a break yesterday and you saw what happened to the markets. We will focus again on leading the country out of recession and on to economic glory with the KUBE stimulus package.

The KUBE itself is, as always a great contest, a morality play, and a lot of fun all rolled up into one stupid little package, for your pleasure. First, the long shot award:

Some Long Shot Stats for the Komments

20 entries had Arizona advancing to the SWEET 16
Theses people included - our current leader Winland, Derek2, Jon Becker's Pork Barrel entry (even a blind pig finds a corn cob once in a while), all 3 of Ryan Dierberg's picks (the Ivy League Education Strikes Again).

Missing from the list is Brad Koeneman, who attempted to subrogate the system by creating a bracket designed to "win" this prestigious award - but alas, he failed and only had 9 correct picks in the ENTIRE bracket with W. Ky over MS State in the finals - no winnings for those trying to cheat the system. Indeed the KUBE hates schemers and gamers of the system. Brad likely is the kind of person who thought credit default swaps were a good idea and would like to work with the KUBE to “repackage”, “securitize” and “monetize” our income stream.

But our winner is:

Thy Terrell Owens - currently in 209th place (out of 223) - this appears to be a legitimate entry as he has 12 of 16 teams in the Sweet round and all of his elite 8 are still alive with Louisville winning it all. AZ was his only high seeded team advancing. We have since discovered that Thy Terrell Owens in one Jim Barry, playing the KUBE all the way from Burlingame CA and evidently is related to the KUBE from some sad misadventure his daughter had with my deeply troubled nephew Greg Gates. Congrats Jim.

Hard to predict who is going to win under the presently available scenarios. Clearly the wisdom of the crowd calls for NC and Louisville and the KUBE top 20 is littered with those entries. If Villanova goes all the way, I look pretty good since it looks like I am the only one who picked them to go all the way (BRILLIANT!). Derek Winland though brilliant and currently number one is a dead man walking with his (what can only be called) ballsy pick of UCLA to go all the way so we will be saying goodbye to him as leader shortly. Watch for Bob Heine with Syracuse and Shayo Mowen with Memphis and God Bless him there is my brother with his heart in his hands trying to make a run with Missouri going all the way. MIZ… indeed.

Enjoy your brackets, enjoy the games and remember you are one of us. Do something profoundly stupid today and celebrate all that is the KUBE!

MIZZOU-RAH!: KUBE KOMMENTS LATE SUNDAY EDITION

Marquette has pulled within 1... now 3 with 7:56 to play. Obviously we hate them like poison. Obviously Jesuits are never to be trusted but nothing good has happened at that school since Hank Raymonds left. Sorry Majeris. The Mizzou game is too hard to watch so lets talk a little about a topic we have not visited before... first families of the Kube.

We got a lot of great family traditions in the KUBE and not just your random poorly bred Kuklas and Beckers and their ilk. We have Mowens, Curtises, Shapiros, Kowerts, Flavins, Omearas, Winstroers, Pupillos, Hessels, Webers, Buemers, the list goes ion and on...but certainly these are some of the first families of KUBE and build the great, GREAT tradition that is this bracket. I thing we have KUBE Kompetitors from Spain (Gegel), Columbus Ohio (King), San Fransisco (Bellefeuille) So Cal (Reed) Louisville (Dolen) and probably even further afield then this humble scribe knows... but you can let me know at any time where YOU filed your brackets from a wantonbecker@mac.com.

KOMMENTS!

ANGRIEST BALD DWARF IN DIVISION I




Mizzou barely hung on AND covered the spread so while wnatonbecker picked Marquette in his brackets and lost his 15 minutes of KUBE fame, Missouri by winning by 4 instead of 3 shoved 110 dollars into my pocket. MIZ! Indeed. So we have Derek Winland in first place. Derek is always....always competitive in the KUBE.. and is proving once again...formidable but with the UCLA tragedy is destined for death in the KUBE. It is different this year... the final winners are spread out a lot. I am sure the Koordinator will do some review but six different teams listed as winners in the current top ten. How about Ryan Dierberg tied with himself at 110. It takes a Wharton Business School education to get that done. Shayo Mowen is well positioned with a Syracuse win and that whole pack of North Carolina people. Bob Heine (married to Kukla’s boss) is also well situated with the Memphis pick. Should be fun.

We are hoping to have some insight from the celebrated Miami of Ohio columnist Dan Kukla. Dan is not fairing so well in this years KUBE but I am sure he has good reasons why.

It does not appear we have a lot of pet traffic this year and I guess Don will be announcing a long shot winner soon so keep your eyes peeled.

KUBE SATURDAY EDITION

BLAKE GETS BODY SLAMMED!


So KUBE senior management and the next generation made it through the first and 1/2 of the second round and are now back in the Lou or back at their insititutions of “higher” learning. Sure their were some awkeard moments (notably involving a trampoline, ans albino midget and the Bally Hotel & Casino’s sprinkler system but fortunately the high powered KUBE legal team was able to convince the authorities that the whole thing was just a “misunderstanding”.

Bally’s Sports Book was the typical madness and when the first game tipped off I wish all of you could have been there with a few hundred, dirty hungover men along with a handful of sad, depressed and long suffering wives and girlfriends and a few over worked waitresses bring bevys of bloody mary’s and beers. When CBS starts the first live feed there is a general clapping of appreciation but when the first game tips.... there is a roar. March Joy has arrived again.

I would also like to point out that in the last two weeks, with the advent of this years KUBE the DOW JONES has rallied as the KUBE has once again brought hope back to the American people. 230 KUBISTS have entered this in a tour de force of confidence in America, God, College Basketball and the economy. It is a proud moment indeed. We are going to wait until tomorrow night to any serious review of the current stats but as of Friday Night we had Adam Reed of the deeply troubled Reed family (who also needs to send his check in ASAP to KUBE Headkwarters) is currently ahead followed by Chris (Huggy) Behr, Wantonbecker...Uleashed and.... wait for it.... wait for it.... BECKER THE WRECKER! Obviously it would be a dark, DAAAARRRK day in KUBE history to have the Wrecker win or even, indeed come in, in the money so lets just pray it does not happen.
More tomorrow. Don’t fear the KUBE.

March Madness

So...again it is time. The complaining of the “bubble” teams...the complaining of the “mid-major” conferences and their teams that did not win their conference tournamant, the complainin g of everyone about Dick Vitale is...well...it’s now. Every college with 18 wins is projecting their future and whether they can make the field of 65. The papers have speculation every day and in St. Louis where we know absent a conference tournament win that neither Mizzou or St. Louis University are going anywhere but the N.I.T. Illinois looks like they have a good shot and the darling of the midwest is the now dreaded SIU Salukis. The talk among the basketball obsessed is regarding The Misouri Valley Conference. I could digress (at length) on the Valley, it’s history and greatness and the stupdity of St. Louis University not being a member and instead playing in the geographically challenged Atlantic 10 conference but that is not why we are here today.


We are here to celebrate March and the the fact that is conference tournament time and soon will be the NCAA’s. Sure the major conferences and big name schools dominate but no where is any sport are we allowed something as beautiful as the all out March melee of the NCAA’s. I know the NCAA sanctions other sports but when you say the NCAA’s everyone knows your talking about the men’s Division I tournement. It is a brilliant spectacle starting out with Bracket day on Sunday March 11, which starts after the close of the final conference tournament game (normally the ACC). On Selection Sunday they pick the seeds and we get “the brackets.”
The brackets used to be the hallowed staple of the Newspaper. Newspaper sales doubled on the Monday after selection Sunday with everyone wanting their own copy of the brackets. At offices they were of course photocopied but now we have downloadable brackets and in a number of pools like our own KUBE Klassik Tournament (TM) you just go on line and point and click and if you want you can print out your picks after they are elctronically submitted. We do not print out the brackets at THE Wagenfeld Levine law firm because we of course paperless. The brackets are a beautiful thing. Their rorschrach like image is artistic and was formerly balanced until they expanded the field to 65. Still there is a perfection to the bracket sheet which cannot be nenied.

A blank bracket, with the teams for the first 32 games listed, number one seeds at the top of each bracket, number two seeds second from the bottom on the bracket are without a doubt a religious experience. Filling in a bracket sheet is an act of faith in no uncertain terms. No less an act of faith then any religious belief. Why did you pick Pepperdine to upset Washington State...because you had a gut feeling, because they are on the rise, because they have cool uniforms, because they have a cool name (the Waves), because Lorenzo Romar used to be their coach, because they have the most beautiful campus in the country, because they have pretty uniforms...because, because, because, because, because...But the inportnat thing is that you had a reason and when they pull the upset you are genius.

When I say it is an act of faith like no other you have to understand faith to understand the comment. The ability to believe in things unseen that you cannot prove. That is NCAA faith. 2/3 of the brackets filled out are by people who did not watch a college game all year. They will tend to do just as well as a seasoned professional. That is primarily because they have the seedings right there on the brackets. With this info anyone can pick the heavy favorites without any basketball knowledge at all. You know that number 1 seeds do NOT lose int he opening round. You know 2 seeds only sometimes do and from there on it is a crap shoot. The reason the 1 and 2 seed rarely lose has less to do with how good they are and more to do with how bad the 15 and 16 seeds are. I would love for someone to print up jumbled first round listings with no seedings and see what teams people picked. My guess would be UCLA, Duke, North carolina and Kentucky, along with Notre Dame (assuming they ever make the tournament again) would get the lions share of votes no matter what game they were playing in strictly on name recognition. Perhpas we will run a pool that way some day just to see.

I made two pre-season bets on LSU and Washington to win it all. Neither of them are currently ranked and it is probable that neither makes the dance but just like the brackets take faith, betting pre season takes even more then that, it takes raw stupidity. I watched about 30 college games on TV and saw the Billikens play 5 times. I will have read every possible thing on line and in the papers and mnarch Madness magazines and I will finish somewhere in the middle of the KUBE pool. Betting is after all what the brackets are all about. From 5-20 dollars and through the years many of us feel obligated to participate in several pools. I will invest about 100 bucks turning in brackets. I have won a few pools throughout the years and that having been said would still say I am way down on return on investment.

So, checkout the KUBE Site at www.kubeklassik.com. Get your money to KUBE Kollektor prior to the first tip off. Sit back and enjoy. KUBE Komments will be appearing at irregular intervals on this site.