Earth photos taken by a point-and-shoot camera

Cool photo eh? Taken from a spacecraft? Perhaps the International Space Station? Nope, it was some guy with a balloon and a camera.

Space enthusiast Robert Harrison managed to send his home-made contraption 22 miles - or 116,160 feet - above the earth's surface from his back garden.

The photos taken by his device were so spectacular that Nasa has been in touch to see how he achieved it.

Mr Harrison's budget of £500 might also offer inspiration to the new UK Space Agency, which launches on April 1. Based in Swindon, with only one astronaut and a budget one 50th the size of Nasa's, it will be looking for cut-price ways to reach for the sky.

Mr Harrison first got the idea to explore space after a failed attempt to take aerial pictures of his house using a remote control helicopter.
The funny thing is that NASA spends a huge amount of money to get photos just like these, and they just got one-upped by a Canon Powershot. Whoops!

Outdoor Photo of the Week: Roadway water

Today's Outdoor Photo of the Week is from John Schwartz. Here's what he had to say about the photo:

Photo was taken up in Index at the (now) end of the Index-Galena road on March 14th. Shot from between the river and the road looking towards the entirety of the water flowing off the roadway and down the river.

Briefly about me:

My name is John Schwartz, I live out in Monroe and often take my motorcycle out to shoot pictures around the area.

Think you've got a great outdoor photo? Want to see it hosted on Just South of North? Send your submissions to justsouthofnorth@gmail.com.

Please include your name, a short caption about the photo (date, location, and what makes it special) and your location.

Check back each Sunday for a new Outdoor Photo of the Week.

How to blow up at a ref

Most baseball managers kick dirt on home plate, in hockey... you do this.

Bikes suck

Found this on Huckleberries.

A crash involving Australia’s Belinda Goss,  foreground right , Russia’s Evgeniya Romanyuta, at left, Italy’s Giorgia Bronzini partially seen, and Shelly Evans of the US, during the Women’s Scratch Race at the World Track Cycling Championship, in the Ballerup Arena, Copenhagen, Denmark, Friday. The race was won by Pascale Jeuland of France. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Apparently knee pads aren't required equipment.

Russians changing time zones because they can

Russia is a pretty big country, and they think of themselves as a big deal. Hence, the country has decided to shed a few unnecessary time zones.

Moscow (CNN) -- The world's largest country by land mass is challenging time: This weekend, Russia is cutting the number of its time zones from 11 to 9.

"The less fractional division of the country will enable us to resolve a number of transport and communications issues, will increase its manageability and strengthen the position of Russia as an important chain in the world's global infrastructure," President Dmitry Medvedev said at a special Kremlin meeting devoted to the issues of time change.

Technically speaking, five Russian regions -- two in European Russia and three in Siberia -- will not join the rest of the country in moving the clock one hour forward to daylight saving time at 2 a.m. Sunday, thus coming a little closer to Moscow.

Aman Tuleyev, governor of the Siberian coal-mining region of Kemerovo, which will undergo a time zone change, said at the Kremlin meeting that the existing time zone span doesn't make a lot of sense.

"You travel just a 100 miles to any neighboring city in our area and need to switch your watch one hour back, then move it one hour forward again upon return. This has been creating needless confusion for both businesses and regular people," he said.

Watch out Central Time, you're next.

Epic Video: Birdmen

I came across this today. And it is simply amazing.

Check it out:





(This is from Just Northwest)

Area teams suck it up at the NCAAs

So can we now close the curtain on another NCAA Tournament as all the Northwest teams have been knocked out? Heck all the teams even remotely related to Northwest teams have been knocked out. If you missed it (which you havent, unless you're an Amish person with standard definition TV that only plays DVDs), here's a run down on what happened.

WSU Cougars - Turned down an invitation to the NIT so they could afford football jerseys next year. Or so they could buy out Paul Wulff's contract.

Eastern Washington Eagles - As an alumni of this fine school, I cannot make a dig at this fine institution like all the other schools on this list. Next year ladies and gentlemen! Next year!

Gonzaga Bulldogs - Well their womens' team is in the Sweet Sixteen! The men? Well let me repeat every Zag fan for the past ten years "We'll get them next year." Only now St. Mary's is quickly gaining some traction in the WCC, and Mark Few might become a Duck. This couldn't definitely be a turning point for this basketball power. At least Robert Sacre looked good chest pumping down by 20...

Whitworth Pirates - Let's not talk about their exit from the playoffs. It's still too painful but their football team is better than WSU.

Washington Huskies - After causing roughly 40,000 Washington fans to commit suicide last night, we're still reminded that the Pac-10 is up! ... to WCC levels.

If you're offended... congrats, that was my intention

Epic Photo: Goodbye Yankee Stadium

This is a very effective method of getting rid of all those bad Yankees memories

SportsNation visits EWU...

Colin Cowherd's Alma Mater makes an appearance on his TV show...

Chairs are dangerous for baseball players

Alright, tell me the Cubs aren't cursed after this story.

According to manager Lou Piniella, Lee had just sat down for some pregame chow on Wednesday when the clubhouse chair beneath him decided to call it quits.

The Cubs first baseman dusted himself off for an appearance in an exhibition game against the Rangers, but he left early to receive treatment for his 34-year-old back.

From the Chicago Tribune:

"He was eating before the game and the chair just collapsed on him," Piniella said. "That's why we got him out of there after three innings."

Piniella said Lee was fine and would be back in the starting lineup Friday.

I think at this point we should expect a Tornado to ruin Wrigley Field and black cats to start raining from the sky. Gotta love the Cubbies!

Levels of Canadian-ess

Since we live in the state of Washington, we're actually quite close to the our fine neighbors to the North. This causes an interesting side effect - Americans acting like Canadians. If you think about it, parts of Washington are just like Canada, so naturally some of people seem like they are from there. Perhaps you act like a Canadian and just don't realize it. Hence, here is this handy-dandy guide for levels of Canadian-ness.

LEVEL 1 - A Northern American
- You like Canadian bacon on your pizza.
- You drink Kokanee but don't like that Molson stuff.
- Your favorite actor is Keanu Reeves.
- You like to ski or snowboard.
- You drive a truck.

LEVEL 2 - Border Dweller
- You like Canadian bacon and moose meat on your pizza. With a side of German sausage and four large pancakes. Topped off with a large gallon of syrup.
- Labatt Blue is your choice of drink. With that silly bear.
- Your favorite actor is John Candy, and you have a poster of him hanging in your bedroom.
- You groom the ski and snowboard trails with your custom made SnowCat.
- You drive a Datson.

LEVEL 3 - Border Hopper
- You like Peanut Butter and Waffles, combined with French Toast, and a rack o' Sasquatch.
- You like Canadian Moonshine, and those cool mushrooms on the northside of trees.
- Your favorite actor is Dan Akroyd. I mean the guy way in Ghostbusters! And Coneheads!
- You're now involved in a very illegal sled dog fighting ring.
- You drive a snowmobile.

LEVEL 4 - Daywalking Canadian
- You know the menu at IHOP? You like the entire thing.
- You like Molson Canadian. In fact you have the Molson Canadian shirt, bumper sticket, hockey gear, photos of the Canadian Women's Hockey team drinking after the gold medal game, and a Molson Canadian tatoo... along with a Dan Akroyd tattoo.
- Your favorite actor is Mike Meyers, in fact "Wayne's World" was based on your life and times.
- Hockey! Go Maple Leafs!
- Car? Does my Moped count?

LEVEL 5 - FULL-BLOWN CANADISM
- Beer and peanuts will do.
- Your favorite beer is La Fin du Monde. It's French Canadian. Don't ask.
- You love Celine Dion.
- You spend hours curling...
- You dabble in darts and backgammon
- Your car is actually a bunch of sled dogs.

You've been warned...

Philadelphia Union vs. Seattle Sounders Game Blog

It's time to kick this season off and you'll be able to catch all the good stuff since I'm blogging live from my couch in from of my high-def television. Seriously its better than the sidelines.

Here's a little bit of info before we get started at 6:30
Match forecast: 52 degrees, 80% chance of rain, 8 mph winds

Make sure to click the read more link to get the game blog.

READ MORE

The Nets bag PR gem

Remember the story we told you about concerning the New Jersey Nets CEO yelling at fans with paper bags over their heads? Apparently the PR department of the team is quite clever...

The Nets had a "Bag Exchange" Wednesday night, when all fans were invited to turn in their bags for a nylon bag with the Nets logo on it, and a note from Yormark himself. The note read, "Thanks for letting us see your face, we hope we see it more often at Nets games - Regards, Brett Yormark."

The team did not promote the exchange beforehand; they merely instructed personnel to identify bag-wearers and offer to make the swap. The nylon bag will also include trading cards. 

Now the team's front office management? Not so much.

College football coaches dont want you to see the playoffs

That is... until it's the end of the season and their one-loss team is shut out of the national championship game. Otherwise college coaches LOVE the current system in place.

...when asked by the American Football Coaches Association at its annual convention in January. But it was still a little surprising when the AFCA released the numbers of its poll today just how overwhelming their support for the otherwise reviled BCS really is:

• Ninety-three percent of the 117 FBS head coaches who responded to the survey prefer the traditional bowl system over a playoff.
• Eighty-five percent are in favor of the current BCS team selection process.
• Thirty percent of the coaches favor some modifications to the BCS system. Of that group, 50 percent prefer the “plus one” model that would result in the addition of a fifth BCS bowl game.

Looks like that playoff system is never happening.

Reasons why Montana isn't quite a state...

Ohhhhh, Montanada...

1. It's Wikipedia page is actually just Idaho's bio copied and pasted.
2. It's biggest city is a truck stop with a gas station and a mayor named Cleetus.
3. The number of Sasquatch outnumber the number of people.
4. Roads? In Montana we don't need roads...
5. The biggest man-made building in Montana is an outhouse.
6. Man vs. Wild did a show on "Surviving Montana" and all he had to do is go to downtown Missoula to get the full wilderness effect.
7. The trailer houses outnumber the Grizzly Bears.
8. When people refer to Montana they say "that big empty space between Idaho and the Dakotas"
9. The senators from Montana is the longest running joke in Congress since they basically represent two other people and a moose.
10. When you say "going to the big city!" in Montana, you mean you're going to Spokane.
11. Canada naturally assumes that Montana is part of their country.
12. Aliens vacation in Montana because they rarely run into human beings there.

The Oregon Ducks are swell

Okay so about 30 Oregon Ducks have been arrested in the last 5 months, but this guy is swell...

The People's Coast Classic

In addition to all of my trips this summer (backpacking, kayaking, mountain climbing, hiking) I decided to undertake one more adventure.

This one is for a charity.

I will be participating in the 363-mile People's Coast Classic bicycle ride. This ride will be along the entire Oregon coast and its all for a great cause. The funds that I raise will be going to benefit the Arthritis Foundation.

"I read somewhere... of how important it is in life not necessarily to be strong, but to feel strong... to measure yourself at least once."

I am riding for a number of reasons.

Many of my loved ones are affected by arthritis. Both my mom and dad have it. My niece was diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis at age four and eventually went blind in one eye. I have aunts that have it, and I'm sure a few uncles. Pretty much most of the people I know have it in some way, shape or form.

And then this opportunity presented itself for this ride. My dad is big into street bicycling. I'm more into mountain biking. But this was something that I could share with him.

Then the other half of the Northern Rangers, Jeff, decided he wanted to come along. And I couldn't think of two guys I'd rather do this ride with.

I always talk about how I want to do certain things, well at some point you have to stop talking about what you want to do and you have to do it.

I am blessed enough to have the ability to do this ride for those I love. And for anyone that is affected by arthritis.

And since I already had a summer full of hiking, backpacking, kayaking and mountain climbing planned. So I figured, might as well add in biking.

I invite you to follow as we train for this great cause. Please donate if you can. If you can't please say a prayer for us. That's just as good in my book.

If you are able to make a donation, please do so at my site: http://tppcc.kintera.org/caseyknopik

Also, any donation is tax deducible.

But mainly you'll be helping the over 46 million adults in the US that suffer from arthritis. Think about it, I'm sure you know someone in your life who has it.

Thank you for your thoughts and donations. I'll continue to update the blog with how my training is going.

Attack of the birds

Ahhhhhhh! They're attacking me!

Giacoletti says he's not interested in Toledo

The Spokesman-Review's Jim Meehan has this little nugget on Gonzaga assistant coach Ray Giacoletti.

The Toledo Blade reported in today’s edition that Gonzaga assistant coach Ray Giacoletti is the frontrunner for the Toledo Rockets’ head coaching job. The short article is incorrect, Giacoletti said Wednesday.

“Print it: No interest, not going to happen,” Giacoletti said in a brief telephone interview. ”I don’t know where it came from or why or how. … It’s not even an option either direction.”

Giacoletti is good friends with Toledo A.D. Mike O’Brien, which might have prompted the speculation. Toledo is replacing Gene Cross, who resigned after two years with an 11-53 record. The Rockets were 4-28, 1-15 in the Mid-American Conference, last season.

Mark Few has said his coaching staff was getting looked at. Zag fans should keep a close eye on what is going on here...

Oklahoma freshman doesn't need skool

Good thing Oklahoma freshman Tommy Mason-Griffen is leaving school, it's not like he needs it or anything, as evident from his tweet announcing that he's going pro.

"its a official dat i am leavin skool....ask me y i aint doin anotha yr yue mite get ignored."

Fantastic! You don't need that skooling eh? According to Deadspin.com, some analysts say that you do.

Besides, how could the 5'11" freshman point guard concentrate on his studies after reading a pro evaluation like this one from ESPN draft guru, Chad Ford: "Given his small stature and uneven performance this season, he'll either go in the second round or undrafted."

Hell of a career choice Tommy!

Paper bag guy yelled at by CEO of Nets

It's not bad enough to have to watch a New Jersey Nets game, but now the fans are getting yelled at by the CEO.

Really?

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The New Jersey Nets' sad-sack season appeared to hit another low Monday night when CEO Brett Yormark shouted at a fan wearing a paper bag over his head. Yormark left his courtside seat at the IZOD Center late in the second half of New Jersey's 99-89 loss to the Miami Heat. Yormark then doubled back toward the fan, identified by the New York Daily News as Chris Lisi of Middletown, N.J.

The Nets are currently the worst team in the NBA. They have a 7-63 and are also shooting for the worst record in NBA history.

With just 12 games remaining in the season, New Jersey has to win at least two to avoid setting a new low win record. The record was set by the 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers at a 9-73 season.

Bicycle rules of the road

The nice weather in the Northwest means that more bicyclists are on the road.

Here's a link to some good bicycle rules of the road.

Read them and make sure you abide by them to stay safe.

(This is from Just Northwest)

Epic Video: Kick-Ass Trailer

I'm a sucker for super hero movies. I can't wait for Ironman 2. I was giddy when it was announced today that Chris Evans will play Captain America. I have Superhero Hype.com bookmarked on my computer. Yes, I love men in tights. Wait....nevermind.

Anyway, check out the trailer for Kick-Ass. "With no power comes no responsibility."

(JUSTSON warning. Some language and violence)

SWEET ZAGS!

The Gonzaga Bulldogs Women's Basketball team has been dominant all season in the WCC. Tonight, they clinched their first trip to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament in school history.

SEATTLE -- Twenty minutes in December made Gonzaga fearless in March. No one more so than Vivian Frieson.

And because of Frieson, the Bulldogs are headed to the regional semifinals and Texas A&M is going home, ending the Aggies' dream of a Final Four trip three hours from campus.

Gonzaga's do-everything senior scored 23 points, including the go-ahead 12-footer with 17 seconds left, to lead seventh-seeded Gonzaga to a 72-71 upset win over second-seeded Texas A&M on Monday night in the second round of the NCAA women's tournament.

That little Jesuit school from Spokane is making tournament noise again. But move over guys, it's the ladies' turn now.

"It means the world to me. Me and Heather [Bowman] have been a part of a lot of firsts here at this university," said Frieson, who added nine rebounds, five assists and four blocks. "It felt great to go to the NCAA tournament for the first time in 2007. It felt great to win our first game last year against Xavier and it feels even better to go to the Sweet 16."

Better get your season tickets now, I have a feeling seats are going to start becoming VERY tough to find next year. 

If Casey and I could make cupcakes...

...yeah we're dorks.

Vandals release football schedule

Idaho just released it's 2010 schedule, coming off that wonderful Humanitarian Bowl win season and it looks like they might be setting themselves up for another bowl run.

2010 schedule

Sept. 2 - North Dakota
Sept. 11 - at Nebraska
Sept. 18 - UNLV
Sept. 25 - at Colorado State
Oct. 2 - Western Michigan
Oct. 9 - bye
Oct. 16 - at Louisiana Tech 
Oct. 23 - New Mexico State
Oct. 30 - at Hawai`i
Nov. 6 - Nevada
Nov. 12 - Boise State
Nov. 20 - at Utah State
Nov. 27 - at Fresno State
Dec. 5 - San Jose State

Oh and circle Nov. 12, you know that one is going to be a barn-burner in Moscow.

Legend of the Foam Finger

Epic Video: Harvey Dent

Can we trust him?

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

WAZZU: The team that kind of sucked this year

It didn't seem like it, but the Cougars finished last in Pac-10 for men's basketball. Not something you want to happen when your football team is also a doormat as well. However, despite the supposed disappointing season, the Cougs still finished 16-15. Good sign for the future?

SPOKANE, Wash. -- Coach Ken Bone didn't expect to finish last in his first season at Washington State, but he says a couple of breaks in close games would have lifted the Cougars into the thick of the Pac-10 race.

"It hurts to look at the standings and see we finished 10th," Bone said this week. "That stings me a little bit."

Washington State (16-15, 6-12 Pac-10) could have finished in the middle of the muddled Pac-10 most of the season. Their six conference wins were the most ever for a last-place team in the league.

"It just doesn't seem like we were that far off," Bone said. "We win two more games, and there were at least a couple games we definitely could have won, and now, all of a sudden, we finish in the middle of the pack."

The Cougars were one of the youngest teams in the nation, featuring only one senior in Nik Koprivica, and no juniors.

Two teams that are going to be much improved next year in the Northwest is the Eastern Washington Eagles and WAZZU. You have two super-young squads with legit stars on the team. All it takes is some reps and they'll get their feet under them. 

Few for thought

Alright, I could have broke down the GU loss yesterday and been one of 1,000 media people doing the same. They got blown out by a one seed and that is that. The bigger concern should be whether or not Mark Few is leaving to go to Oregon. The normal reaction would be "no way" but this article from Bud Withers paints a different picture. You'll remember last year that the Ducks were already asking if Few was interested.

Few said no. What could have changed, then, in a year?

Two things: The Ducks have offed Kent, whereas a year ago, it's believable that Few might not have felt comfortable helping to unseat a colleague.

Then there's this: "I don't think he feels quite as appreciated as he did three or four years ago," said somebody familiar with Few. "People start bitching. They've gotten pretty unrealistic."

There are Zags zealots who have forgotten where they were a dozen years ago. They had never won an NCAA tournament game in 1998, and now they've won 15. But the monster has a big appetite in college sports, and the buzz is, there was a good deal of grumbling when Gonzaga got whacked by Saint Mary's in the WCC final.

It's fair to assume those folks were more perturbed with the NCAA loss to Syracuse than they were pleased with the opening-round victory over Florida State.

And that is the kicker, there's been more than a few grumblings about the coaching job of Few after the Duke game and the Syracuse game. Something that if you consider his considerable run with Gonzaga (11-years and 11 appearances in the NCAA Tournament), is pretty unwarranted. Unless you expect a school that was a relative unknown until 1999 when they made their run to the Elite Eight to suddenly become a college basketball elite like the University of Kentucky or UNC, you have to like the job that Few has done.

Remember that he had to weather the Josh Heytvelt drug charge, and this year's rebuilding process. All indications were that this year's squad was going to be down big time due to their youth. Yet they won the WCC.

Then they got blown out by St. Mary's in the WCC Tournament Championship Game. Criticism for Few.

Zags bounce back to win their first-round game against Florida State, and then get crushed by Syracuse. More criticism for Few.

How many other mid-major coach has made it to ten straight NCAA Tournaments, and then get criticized for losing in the second round in the eleventh year of his run?

So for a guy that is looking for a high quality of living, a fanbase that suddenly expects unrealistic expectations from a program that he basically built might be enough to push him to Oregon. Just a thought.

The Force is not with this guy

Life on Discovery

Remember Planet Earth?

Well tonight premiers LIFE on the Discovery Channel.

In case you didn't know, Discovery is probably my favorite channel. I'm looking forward to tonight's show.

It's on at 8 PM. Check out the preview.



(This is from Just Northwest)

Epic Video: Greivis Vasquez makes half-court shot

Shot this while attending NCAA Practice in the Spokane Arena on Thursday. Pretty Cool Eh?

Outdoor Photo of the Week: Mount Rainier alpenglow

This week our Outdoor Photo of the Week is from Scott Harder, Mill Creek, Washington.

The location of this photo is just West of Mount Rainier at 9,800 feet.

Taken as the sunset as it cast “alpenglow” on the westside of Mount Rainier from a helicopter at almost 10k feet. Lenticular clouds had just started to form on the top.

You can view more of Scott's work at Mill Creek Multimedia.

Think you've got a great outdoor photo? Want to see it hosted on Just South of North? Send your submissions to justsouthofnorth@gmail.com.

Please include your name, a short caption about the photo (date, location, and what makes it special) and your location.

Check back each Sunday for a new Outdoor Photo of the Week.

How to tell if you're too into the NCAA tournament....

1. You've had "One Shining Moment" on repeat on your iPod for the last three weeks.

2. The Gus Johnson poster in your room has been there since you were twelve.

3. You've been through five remotes, one broken everytime some upset screws up your bracket.

4. Your ringtone is the Gus Johnson/Gonzaga "THE RUNNER....." call on CBS.

5. When the tournament is on, you don't leave your couch, not even to go to the bathroom.

6. You once got in a fight with your friend for implying that the NBA was a superior form of basketball.

7. You fill out a bracket for the Women's NCAA Tournament, WNIT, NIT, CIT, and the 2012 Presidential Elections.

8. You run the website "whatwouldhappenifasixteenseedbeataoneseed.com"

9. You drink everytime somebody makes a buzzer beater, you are an alcoholic.

10. You're a Murray State fan and you dont go to the school.

Nuff said.

The Saints apparently don't like their fans

The Super Bowl Champions New Orleans Saints are renovating their press box and adding new luxury suites. Cool right? They're just reaping the rewards of their championship and upgrading a press box that is probably really old. However, there is a problem...

On Thursdsay, Saints Box Office employees began calling close to 1,200 season ticket holders to let them know their seats are disappearing in order to make room for a new press box.  The old press box is being replaced with 16 new suites.

And it's those sitting in the upper rows within sections 639, 640, and 641 who are being forced to give up their seats.

"We're working with those folks one-on-one and we take it very seriously," said Michael Stanfield, vice-president of ticket & suite sales. "The fan is number one, without the fan, we're not here in new Orleans." The Saints organization says while the wait list for season tickets is already 50,000-people long, the season ticket holders who are being displaced will be moved to the front of the line.

That's crazy that every single seat in the Superdome is a season ticket holder. You'd think that they would set a cap for holders but this is the NFL and it is the Saints (New Orleans favorite team). Bad PR Mojo all around.

Epic Photo: That's no moon, that's a watermelon

I've got a bad feeling about this.

The Pac-10 is down?

WASHINGTON 82, NEW MEXICO 64

Um, I don't think so. Guess who's in the Sweet Sixteen?

Zags might be in a pickle with the Orange

The line for the GU-Syracuse game has been released and the Zags are 7.5 point underdogs. What does that mean? Well nobody is expecting a miracle at midnight a la Cinderella, but hey...

Many Zag fans think that if GU were to play a 1-seed, than Syracuse would be the easiest draw. Hence there is some optimism that the Bulldogs could pull off the upset. If they were to do it, it would be one of the biggest signature wins in the school's history. Is it possible? Yes, but is it likely?

This team has been up and down all season, evident by their losses in the WCC to lesser teams, and that's a sign of their youth and inexperience. So would it be smart to say that maybe they don't realize how monumental a task it will be to defeat Syracuse? Is that a good thing? So many questions, and I can't say if I expect this to be a competitive game or a blowout. It really could go either way and it wouldn't surprise me at all.

Keep in mind that this is in Buffalo, and Syracuse will have a definite home-court advantage. And did anyone notice that the Zags had no bench points in their win over FSU? That is not exactly a welcoming stat.

At the NCAAs...

Sorry about the lack of posts yesterday but I spent the day courtside for all four games of the NCAA Tournament in Spokane, being a production assistant for Westwood One radio with Dave Sims and PJ Carlesimo. Here are some things I noticed...

1. NCAA Tournament College Basketball is much more impressive in person than on TV, considering you have the best teams in the country on the floor. While CBS does a great job of covering all the games, you obviously lose a lot in translation. And I have to say that the teams are actually quite evenly matched athletically and competitively. A ten-point win seems like a lot if you're sitting at home, but if you're sitting next to the action, you know there's a possibility that had the other team gotten two-or-three bounces, it's a completely different game. This sounds somewhat cliched but seriously, if you're up close to these guys, it's good basketball. And I thought I'd never say that about college basketball.

2. New Mexico State got completely screwed in their loss to Michigan State.  The head ref had arguably been calling ticky tack fouls and really asserting himself all game. Let the kids play. He also called two technicals that he had no business calling. Just a shame, hopefully he doesn't do another NCAA Tournament. Nobody on Press Row was happy about his calls and they were visible upset by it, like some drunk assistant coach had stumbled on the court and yelling at players (a la Hoosiers). Actually that would have been pretty entertaining. The best part of this screw job? A NMS fan walking over within earshot of the CBS TV crew and yelling "Why don't you talk about how the NCAA SCREWS mid-majors!!!!!" ... I half expected four Arena Ushers to drag him away while he's going "NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! You cant do this to me! I'm A BOOOSTER!!!!"

3. Best part of the day, the Arena PA screwing up the Gonzaga-FSU score and making it sound like the Zags were down by a huge margin. The entire crowd of 11,000 gasped with disappointment (I think one lady behind us may have went into labor), and then went dead silent like somebody had just thrown an infant from the upper deck onto the court. Then the PA guy was like "Whoah, hold on, flip that score" and then the entire crowd cheered. Pure theater. Love it. I think PA guys should have more fun with this and screw with home crowds more often.

4. Best mascot of the night. First, Michigan State's mascot is so iconic it's cool to have him rolling around although it would have been cool just to have some ripped guy dressed like a "300" guy yelling "THIS IS SPARTA!!!" to everyone in the crowd. However, the best mascot of the night was Maryland's Testudo. When you first see him you're like "Holy Crap is that a turtle?!" and then you have flashbacks for your childhood of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Seriously, if they could have had Shredder and Splinter show up to the Arena, it would have brought the place down. And whoever played Testudo was great, telling to opposing fans to "call him" and generally being overly pumped about the game. Loved it. Anytime you can have a turtle roaming around the court, you just got to do it.

5. My favorite players of the night was Greivis Vasquez, and I'm going to be rooting for him to do big things in the NBA. For Maryland, he's a 6'6" point guard that can shoot, drive to the hoop, excellent passing skills (his court vision is very impressive), play good defense and rebound. All in one player that just so happens to be the guy running your offense. Holy Cow, so dynamic and even though he didn't light up the scoreboard last night, the way he impacted the game by doing other things bodes very well for him down the road. Having just read Bill Simmons "Book of Basketball", where he talks about guys that know "The Secret" on being a great basketball player, I'd have to say that Vasquez just exudes the talent/will-to-win/selfless/royal badass criteria that is required. He was the most impressive player of the night and he wasn't even the top scorer on his team. That's how good he is.


And with that said, GO MARYLAND!

Down to Portland

This weekend I'm heading back down to the Rose City. Last year at this time when I went down there Portland got an MLS team.

I wonder what will happen this year?

Here are a few things I hope to see in that great city of Portland:

• Someone giving out "free hugs"


• A giant rubber duck


• A hippie bathing in a fountain


• Oregon Duck fans making fun of Oregon State Beaver fans


• A bum sleeping on the MAX


• The Saturday Market


• A submarine


• Penguins


• Elvis


• A bicyclist wearing a poncho


• The guy who pretends to be a statue

Should be a great trip. I'll report in when I make it back.

Duthie Hill mountain bike park

In case you missed it, yesterday the Seattle Times had a great article about a new mountain bike park that is going in near Issaquah, WA.

You can read the full article here.

Since I'm currently located in the Issquah area, I was stoked to read this article. The place sounds awesome.

It features the world's longest log ride, a boardwalk, huge drops, wooden structures and varying levels of difficulty throughout. That means both the expert and the beginner can have fun at the park.

The Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance worked to get the park built in cooperation with King County Parks. Currently EMBA members have volunteered over 6,000 hours of work on the park. I also found out the schedule and we're planning on heading out there to help.

The grand opening of the park is on May 22. But that will just complete Phase One of the park. Phase Two is expected to be completed in April 2011.

And you can bet that in the near future the Northern Rangers will be out there for a ride and video.

(This is from Just Northwest)

Montana sucks, NCAA Tournament shows

Hey Montana, a mid-major school beat you in the opening round of the tournament. Does that make you a mini-major?

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- After all of Darington Hobson's big talk about a deep NCAA tournament run for New Mexico, Montana nearly shut up the Lobos right away.

Roman Martinez had 19 points, six rebounds and four assists and third-seeded New Mexico overcame a shaky start to beat 14th-seeded Montana 62-57 in the NCAA tournament's East Regional on Thursday night.

Hobson added 11 points, 11 rebounds and six assists while playing with a sprained left wrist for the Lobos, who used a 17-0 run after halftime to briefly break open the game after trailing by a point at the break.

But now they'll probably raise a banner in their basketball arena.

NCAA Practice photos from Spokane

The NCAA Tournament will tip-off tomorrow, but today I got to take a trip down to the Spokane Arena for some of the team practices. Here are some of the images I got from the Michigan St. and Maryland session.

By the way, the MSU Superfan? Not me. I promise.

DAWG-GONE!

WASHINGTON 80, MARQUETTE 78

Quincy Pondexter drove for a tiebreaking bank shot with 1.7 seconds left, and 11th-seeded Washington rallied for an 80-78 victory over Marquette in the first round of the East Regional on Thursday night.

The real winner in all of this? The Pac-10.

It's March Madness!

We have our first awesome buzzer beater of the tournament as No. 13 Murray St. beats No. 4 Vanderbilt.

The Seahawks QB of the future! Oh crap...

Who will take the controls of the Seahawks offense once Matt Hasselbeck is done? Seneca is gone, so say hello to Charlie Whitehurst - the third string quarterback of the San Diego Chargers. Oh goody.

The Seattle Seahawks and San Diego Chargers have completed a trade that sends third-string Chargers quarterback Charlie Whitehurst to Seattle for draft picks.

The Seahawks swapped the 40th pick in the second round with San Diego's 60th pick and also will send the Chargers a third-round pick in the 2011 draft.

...Whitehurst, a restricted free agent with third-round compensation, has had only four NFL snaps and has not thrown a pass in a regular-season game. The Clemson product signed his one-year restricted tender Wednesday, which facilitated the trade, after deciding he preferred to play in Seattle instead of Arizona.

Well anytime you can rest the entire hopes of a franchise on a guy that has four NFL snaps, you just gotta do it! Was Jim Sorgi not available?

Epic Photo: This is why you don't take photos of kangaroos

Casey still has nightmares about this one.

How to tell if you're gawd-awful at MLB 2K10

So my roommate just bought MLB 2K10, and I have realized I'm terrible at it. Gawd awful. I have no business playing video games ever again. And with that, I present the symptons that you're bad at MLB 2K10.

1. Your Amish roomate (or MooseJaw) beats you at the game...
2. ... with the Pittsburgh Pirates, or the 2008 "Legacy" Mariners team.
3. Gill Meche has a no-hitter going against you in the eighth.
4. You spend 30 minutes trying out how to perform the "Swing" function on the game.
5. You get fed up with the game and switch to Mario Kart.
6. You ask somebody when you can kick the field goal on the game.
7. Your pitcher substitutions are so bad, your friends start calling you Grady Little.
8. The game suggests you switch the difficulty to "Manny being Manny" mode.
9. With Albert Pujols you manage a grand total in the home run depot of four infield hits.
10. Jamie Moyer sets the MLB strikeout record against you in the game.

You've been warned.

Republicans don't like the Terrapins

If you're lucky enough to have a ticket to the NCAA Tournament, consider rooting for the Maryland Terrapins. Why? For starters they beat Duke (which is always a plus) and second, they're one of the more exciting teams in the Tournament. However, Congress didn't think so, struggling to pass a fairly harmless resolution to congratulate the Terrapins - who's campus is near DC.

Are House Republicans rooting against the Terps in the Big Dance?

That's one possible interpretation of an odd saga that has unfolded on the House floor over the last 24 hours, culminating with a vote minutes ago on a resolution "Congratulating the 2009-2010 University of Maryland Men's Basketball Team, Greivis Vasquez, and Coach Gary Williams on an outstanding season." The measure passed, which seems normal enough, but with 132 members -- all but two of them Republicans -- voting against, which is not to normal for such routine symbolic bills.

You've got to be kidding me right? If they can't agree over a pat on the back, forget about healthcare. This country is screwed.

MLB thinks Cliff Lee is a jerk

Not exactly the start we were looking for in Spring Training for the Seattle Mariners, as Cliff Lee will now miss five games for being a jerk.

PEORIA, Ariz. -- Seattle Mariners starter Cliff Lee received a five-game suspension Wednesday from Major League Baseball, jeopardizing his first start of the season.

Lee will appeal the suspension, according to the Mariners. Manager Don Wakamatsu said the appeal will be heard in plenty of time for the Mariners to set their opening-week rotation.

Lee was suspended and fined for intentionally throwing a pitch, MLB vice president Bob Watson said, in the head area of Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Chris Snyder during the third inning of their game Monday.

Look on the bright side, at least Cliff Lee has stayed away from the nose candy.

Matt Bouldin makes cover of Sports Illustrated

Matthew Bouldin, ladies and gentlemen! ... don't look up his shorts.

Stop touching your teammate!

Josh Smith just got a little too touchy feely with his teammate.

Ron Washington, Ladies and Gentlemen!

The 57-year old manager of the Texas Rangers, Ron Washington, tested positive for for cocaine during the 2009 season. Sports Talk Radio and the blogosphere will now implode. However, what's funnier than the actual news itself is the quote that Washington provided...

"I did make a mistake and I regret that I did it," Washington told SI.com on Tuesday. "I am really embarrassed and I am really sorry."

He's really serious ladies and gents, and I'm going to go to the book of understatements and pencil in "Hey I flubbed up a bit and did a wee bit of an elicit drug during the season" as a hall-of-famer. I wonder what Josh Hamilton is thinking right now?

Hail to the Golden Lions!

In the biggest shame in all of sports, the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions beat Winthrop 61-44 in the NCAA tournament for the right to get royally handled by the Duke Blue Devils. Hooray for March Madness!

If you fell asleep during the game like i did, here are some things you should know about Arkansas-Pine Bluff before their game Friday against Duke.

(1) They're a 16 seed.
(2) They're going to get murdered by Duke out on the court.
(3) They're from Arkansas, probably the Pine Bluff area.
(4) They play basketball.

Okay, can we move on to real games now?