There have been plenty of surprises in the NCAA Tournament – as always – this year. As they say, the more things change – the more they stay the same. That is a good thing when it comes to March Madness. More on that idea later. Unfortunately, this has also become a rallying cry for the Texas men’s basketball fan.
The highly-regarded Texas men’s basketball program – ye of many great recruiting classes, lots of top 10 rankings, and plenty of NBA-caliber players - now has zero Sweet Sixteen appearances in four of the past 5 years. And don’t forget, they are 0 – 6 in Big 12 championship games.
So the question becomes this – how can this Longhorn’s program consistently under-achieve? I don’t think this is much of a surprise anymore.
The numbers six and four weigh heavily for the Texas men’s basketball team today. In both instances, the context accompanying them is not anything to be proud of right now. Number six: The number of losses that the Longhorns have had in the Big 12 Championship game. After Saturday’s loss to Kansas, they are now 0 – 6 all-time – a streak that does not provoke much pride in the faithful. Coach Rick Barnes has done a great job of getting the Horns to the championship game consistently over the years, but has yet to seal the deal. Four of those losses have come against Kansas. Ah the reality of Big 12 basketball. Rock Chalk Jayhawk is here to stay.
Number four: The blowout loss to Kansas resulted in the other major number for the Longhorns today – the number four. March madness is now officially upon us, and the Longhorns go into the West region as a #4 seed. What was once looking like a solid #2 heading to San Antonio is now a #4 on the road to … Anaheim. Oh joy, indeed.
“Six and four” could have easily been one and two. Just a few weeks ago, it was easy to believe that the Longhorns first Big 12 Championship was around the next corner, as was a number one or two seed in the Southwest Region. Now, the reality check - are the Horns entering the Big Dance on the right foot? Or is this going to be another year in which the Horns dance with two left feet and exit stage left in the process?
March Madness is now upon us – in more ways than one. Yes, it is time to spend hours upon hours watching the NCAA basketball tournament. That is one of the great things about the month of March. But wait, there’s more March Madness to be had in Texas. The Texas Legislature now in full swing. Now that is madness.
The Texas March Madness started earlier in the year by giving emergency status to a bill regarding pre-abortion ultrasounds, at a time when there are bigger fish to fry. As it stands, there is still a $27 billion budget deficit to be dealt with. I guess that as a politician, it is important to know where to put the priorities of your constituents. Slash a program here or there, make huge budget cuts that affect millions, and, well, spend hours in session debating the “emergency” status of this bill. Please feel free to inject a large dose of sarcasm here.
So with Madness in mind, I present Episode 10 – a little health care, a little Texas, a little cycling, and a lot of Rhubarb.
Julius Caesar had the Ides of March. The Texas Longhorns basketball program now has the February Fade. In 2010, the February Fade was ugly, to say the least. A team with a lot of talent began the season with a 17 game winning streak. This same team then earned a number one national ranking. You could hear the fans – self included – proclaiming that maybe this was the Longhorns’ season to go beyond the Final Four.
And then it all went bad - so bad, in fact, that they finished the season with a 7 – 10 record and a first round exit from the NCAA tournament. At the time, I found myself wondering about the inability of great individual talents to play as a unit. They say that there is no “I” in TEAM – but there is a ME, and unfortunately it reared its ugly head far too many times down the stretch last year. I also found myself wondering about the inability of Coach Rick Barnes in righting the ship as it was wavering, and in finding a way to improve a team that had horrid free throw shooting at best.
The February Fade.
As we now enter March 2011, we’re witnessing many of the same traits as last season from a totally different Longhorn team. The one constant over the past two seasons? Coach Rick Barnes, of course.
I have been in a bit of a writing frenzy lately. I am sure that many of you may be wondering why there has been a rather large influx of new content here recently. Granted, I like to publish to this site as frequently as life will allow. Any of you that have blogged or written anything in the past realize that the task can at times be daunting. There will almost certainly be times when you feel like you really have nothing to say or to write about in the midst of your daily grind, or simply don’t feel like you have the time to get it down on paper.There are times when the “time factor” is a reality, times when 24 hours in a day just don’t seem like enough time to get everything done. But there are also times when that same “time factor” just becomes a convenient excuse.
So the question becomes this: what happened to make me suddenly start writing like a wild man? Frankly, it comes down to something very simple: I called myself out on my own resolutions.
Do you know of any other place where you can discuss “Formula One” and “Texas politics” in the same breath? The latest episode of Rhubarb Ruminations, of course! I guess both involve horses, perhaps, but the similarities end there. Here is the latest Rhubarb to give you something to ponder with spring (and the start of Formula One season) right around the corner.
1. In the “surely, you jest” category: the Ferrari Formula One team have recently revealed their 2011 championship contender – named the Ferrari F150. The name, in typical Ferrari fashion, is in honor of the 150th anniversary of Italy’s unification. I am sure that the tifosi will love it, especially on a beautiful fall day in September at Monza. But get this – the Ford Motor Company has threatened to file a lawsuit for trademark infringement on their F-150 truck.
Are you serious? Is there going to be some brand confusion for the average American that (frankly) has no comprehension of what a Ferrari is anyways? Or is there some brand confusion for the average global citizen who may know what a Ferrari is but really doesn’t care about a gas guzzling Ford pickup? The only thing these two have in common is lousy fuel mileage.
So what was the verdict?
Valentine’s Day – a day that celebrates love and affection between intimate companions. Don’t worry, I know you have February 14th circled on your calendar. Your “significant other” hopes I am right, trust me. For some, Valentine’s Day has become nothing more than a Hallmark Day, a day for mass-produced greeting cards and commercialization. Love and romance are always good for sales. Ahhh capitalism. What hath love wrought? Perhaps it could serve as the next great economic stimulus. More chocolates! More wine! More flowers! Buy buy buy! Sell sell sell!
With that said, much of the history of Saint Valentine has little to do with romance. But I am sure that many people have fond memories of Valentine’s Day. As a child, you may have handed out cards to your friends at school, hoping that they might want you to be their valentine too. Once you were a little older, it might have meant something more. Maybe that card was given to the little blond girl in your eight grade math class on whom you had a crush. Or perhaps you had just started dating someone, and there it was, a nice romantic day on which to spoil your new-found love interest. Or maybe it’s a day to just get back to basics with your spouse.
Maybe Valentine’s Day does serve a purpose of having one special day to truly make a point of enjoying that special someone’s presence in your world. But the more I think about it, the more I realize something important. Maybe every day should be Valentine’s Day. Perhaps what we need is to express (and appreciate) more love – on a daily basis – and not have it become just a once-a-year celebration.
Up to 60% of runners will sustain an injury within any given year. Poor running mechanics, in conjunction with poor, ineffective and outdated training methods, can pose a significant injury risk. "RunSmart" was written to address these issues in the running community.
"Running Injuries: Etiology And Recovery- Based Treatment" (co-author Bridget Clark, PT) appears in the third edition and fourth editions of "Clinical Orthopaedic Rehabilitation: A Team Approach" by Charles Giangarra, MD and Robert C. Manske, PT.
Allan Besselink, PT, DPT, Ph.D., Dip.MDT has a unique voice in the world of sports, education, and health care. Read more about Allan here.
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