Duke is dead, long hate Duke

Looks like the New York love affair with the Knicks is over in a real hurry after a series of uninspiring performances, and the impression that Carmelo Anthony wants the offence to run through him first, second and third.  They'll be fine, after another off-season and training camp, though with the NBA labor deal up soon, might be a couple years if you believe the doom-sayers.

Any March Madness tourney where Duke gets exposed for the fraud they so often are is a good one in my book, and did they ever get exposed last night in a 93-77 curbstombing that saw them outscored 55-33 in the second half.  Butler topped Wisconsin to continue their run in the tourney, and UConn topped San Diego State.  I mention those three games first as I had all three wrong.  Fantasic!  At least Florida beat BYU like I predicted.  Four more games tonight to get down to the Elite Eight.

Colin Cowherd's Rock Band March Madness is into the Final Four.  Get your votes in here.  Looking like it'll be The Beatles taking on Led Zeppelin in the finals.

Quite a difference a day makes in Toronto, as preparations are under way for the TFC 2011 home opener at what will be a frigid BMO Field tomorrow at 2pm.  The Portland Timbers visit and if the expansion team wins, it is going to get really, really nasty in the stands I suspect.

Not sure what world Mark Recchi of the Boston Bruins, who last I looked doesn't have MD behind his name, is operating in, but he says that Montreal Canadien Max Pacioretty's injuries after Zdeno Chara maimed him a few weeks back is "an embellishment".  Yeah, broken vertebra are something you can just "kind of" have.  Nice work declaring the concussion, diagnosed as "severe", as a "non-factor" and something he was over a day or two later.  "Stupid hockey player" is redundant, but fitting.  What isn't an embellishment is the 7-0 beatdown the Bruins dropped on the reeling Habs last night.  The Habs have been shut out in two straight, and have lost five of eight.

ESPN's Baseball Today mentioned that Toronto Blue Jay Adam Lind hit .117 against lefties last year in 145 plate appearances.  Ouch.  Is that random and a small single season sample, or what he is?  Surely he can push that into Mendoza Line range.

Incredible interview with the always interesting Mike Tyson, who drops this line in on when he was at his lowest point: "I didn't even deserve a prostitute with AIDS".  If you haven't seen The Champ of late, you almost wouldn't recognize him from recent years.  Looks like he's dropped 50lbs and 10 years off himself.

Curious how New York Jets coach Rex Ryan can guarantee a Super Bowl but not be able to guarantee a season or clarify the quality thereof.

For those getting their MLB fantasy on, a quick stat: the average number of closers who lose their job to injury or performance from the start of the year through end are 13.

What will Toronto Blue Jay Jose Bautista do this season?  A few projections at this link here, and none have him hitting even 40 homers.

Back tomorrow, bright and early, for an increasingly rare Saturday edition.  Check on in, ya hear?

Look what San Diego State's loss last night did to my first place run in the big March Madness Pool: