Basketball trumps Baseball

I was doing some research for a book involving the early days of baseball, starting in New York City - center of the first professional baseball leagues. The original "Mets" played in the "polo grounds" just north of Central Park. This team spawned as sister team, the Gothams, which became the New York Giants. The home field for the Giants, wherever it moved in the city, became known as the Polo Grounds.

Well, long story short, I did a little searching for the original Polo Grounds (Wikipedia gave the address), and found the plot of land just north of Central park (between 110th and 112th Streets and 5th and 6th Avenues). And there, on these two city blocks, are high rise apartments. In the court yards of the apartment buildings facing 112th streets (opposite the street facing the park) are two outdoor basketball courts! The original "Mets" died after seven years and an attempt by its owner to have a team in both the American and National Associations. The Gothams had been created after the owner of the Metropolitans had chosen to stay independent a little longer.

Anyway, other fields were made, but the original parks (back to back) were torn down to make way for "real life" - but not without a pickup game in the court yard!

How 'Bout Them Dawgs!!

I do not follow basketball - not even church league here at home - but here is another blog about basketball in as many days!

From the sports page of the New York Times:

"The sixth-seeded Bulldogs, who won four league games all season, won four in four days and captured the Southeastern Conference tournament championship and an automatic berth in the N.C.A.A. tournament with a 66-57 victory over Arkansas."

With a losing season going in, the Dogs tenaciously held on through a literal storm to get a spot in the big show -- March Madness! At least one man - their coach, Dennis Felton - received a "new lease on life" as his dismal season had put his job in jeopardy.

I am NOT going to embarrass myself by posting my "picks" this year. And I do not hold out any hopes that my alma mater will upset the likes of Duke, North Carolina, or Boston College. But let this Georgia Boy vicariously bask in the glory of the moment!

Watch Out NCAA!

Faith and Basketball - an unlikely combination? Not to the scouts from the NCAA!

It seems that the National Christian Homeschool Basketball Championships have quietly worked up some interest in some of the most impressive Christian athletes out there! As this article in Sunday's New York Times points out, home-schooled students are not the slackers some would have you believe. Locally, here in Greenville, we have just finished our church league tournaments with some impressive games. Our teams did not bring home trophies, but the senior girls won nine of eleven regular season games! Some of our players were home-schooled.

Most of the players at the National Christian Homeschool Basketball Championships, though, had to field teams from OTHER home-schools because only 18 states - sadly South Carolina being one of them - will allow participation of home-schooled athletes in their programs. State Senator Mike Fair (from the upstate) is leading the fight for the home-schoolers.

I applaud the scouts who are looking for talent WHEREVER it may be -- even on the courts of a Christian College in Oklahoma City.

March Madness!!

I am not a basketball fan, but I clicked through to "the bracket" at the NYTimes site and made my picks based on the standings. I chose only six "upsets," four in the first round. My only luxury, as I see it, is Duke getting to the final four. The championship will be Florida vs. North Carolina. The winner will be North Carolina!

After a very close game, # seed 6 Duke will probably beat # 4 Pittsburg in the second round. They will have to beat #2 seed UCLA and # 1 seed Kansas on the way to the showdown with Florida. They will most certainly lose then. Duke's last five games have been disappointing, and the only thing that makes them "favored" over Pitt is number of points scored against their opponents. In that stat, they have Pitt by an average 5 points. I see Duke 74, Pitt 69. The other games, though, are wishful thinking. :-)

My ususal scheme is: East beats West, South beats North, and University beats State. Tech is a long shot. :-)

It really doesn't mean anything since I am not a betting man. To all you fans out there -- have fun.