Northern Iowa Steals NCAA Spotlight

NORTHERN IOWA STEALS NCAA SPOTLIGHT

The Northern Iowa Panthers have rightfully stolen the NCAA spotlight by slaying number one seed Kansas 69 - 67 and set the stage for more heroics against Michigan State on Friday as America's latest homegrown no-name gritty, intentioned and unlikely heroes: Allen L Roland

OK, the healthcare Bill passed but let's be honest ~ it won't become fully implemented until 2014 and at its worse it was a bailout of the Drug and Health Insurance Industry ( note how their stocks have soared recently ) with no promised public option.

Once again, Wall Street gets a gift and Main Street gets a work in progress. For example, the bill includes a provision that gives drug makers a 12 year period of exclusivity on expensive medicines before generic alternatives may enter the market ~ and many of those drugs, including cancer treatments, cost tens of thousands of dollars a year.

And let's be even more honest in that despite all the political posturing in Washington, DC ~ a far more dramatic David versus Goliath scenario is playing itself out at the NCAA basketball playoffs which has captured the attention of most of the nation's sports fans ~ much as George Mason did in 2006.

I vividly remember the national excitement as George Mason, with its similar no-name homegrown cast, slayed Goliath after Goliath on its way to the final four. That included number one seed Connecticut and even Michigan State ~ which the Northern Iowa Panthers face Friday night.

Make no mistake about it ~ the Panthers are for real as any one who watched the last few minutes of the Kansas game, as I most certainly did, will attest. They are talented, gritty, determined and confident ~ even under relentless pressure. Watch Senior guard Ali Farokhmanesh calmly fire the three pointer that was the dagger in the heart of a frantic Kansas rally ~ the shot that felled goliath.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_IBgtYWGVk&feature=related

"If anybody's going to shoot that shot, I want it to be Ali," Northern Iowa's Jake Koch said after the game.

The Panthers are no fluke ~ as reported by Detroit News.com ; " Kansas coach Bill Self said it'd be a mistake to label UNI "Cinderella." After his team's loss to the Panthers , he told the Kansas City Star UNI was the first team he noticed when the brackets were released. UNI senior forward Adam Koch was named MVP of the Missouri Valley Conference despite not finishing in the top 10 in the conference in scoring, rebounding, assists, steals or blocks. Koch does everything well and nothing spectacular, which epitomizes the team he plays on. Koch is complemented by 7-foot senior center Jordan Eglseder (12 ppg, 7.3 rpg), junior point guard Kwadzo Ahelegbe (10.6 ppg) and Farokhmanesh, who's led Northern Iowa in scoring in each of its Tournament victories while shooting 9-of-19 from 3-point range."
http://www.detnews.com/article/20100323/SPORTS0202/3230329/Bracket-buster-Northern-Iowa-enjoys-Sweet-16-spotlight

This year's NCAA tournament has been defined by its upsets. Eight double-digit seeds moved through the bracket in the first round. No. 10 Saint Mary's beat Villanova on Saturday and No. 11 Washington shoved aside New Mexico while No. 12 Cornell dismantled Wisconsin ~ but Northern Iowa's victory was without a doubt the biggest shocker of them all.

Here are my bracket picks for the upcoming greatest sports weekend in college Sports when, within two days, the Sweet Sixteen is shrunk to the Elite Eight ~ Northern Iowa, Tennessee, Butler, Kansas State, Kentucky, Washington, Duke and Baylor which will then become the final four on Sunday ~ Northern Iowa, Kansas State, Kentucky and Baylor.

It doesn't get much better than this !

Allen L Roland
http://allenlrolandsweblog.blogspot.com/2010/03/northern-iowa-steals-ncaa-spotlight.html

This weblog is sustained through donations from people like yourself. Please send check or Money Order to Allen L. Roland, PO Box 1221, Sonoma,CA 95476 Also accept Visa, MasterCard and Discover ~ call (707) 935-1908.

Allen L Roland is a practicing psychotherapist, author and lecturer who also shares a daily political and social commentary on his weblog and website allenroland.com He also guest hosts a monthly national radio show TRUTHTALK on www.conscioustalk.net


Freelance Alternative Press Online columnist and psychotherapist Allen L Roland is also available for comments, interviews, speaking engagements and private consultations ( allen@allenroland.com)

ONLY THE TRUTH IS REVOLUTIONARY

March Madness / I'm Infected, Incurable and Contagious

MARCH MADNESS / I'M INFECTED, INCURABLE AND CONTAGIOUS

Oh my God ! NCAA March Madness is here and I'm infected. Nothing, no nothing can beat the pure exhilaration and joy of college sports most honest competition ~ where David often beats Goliath and 50% of the country is in a bracket pool: Allen L Roland

Of course, the Obama health care bill is really a thinly disguised bailout of the Medical-Industrial complex and Goldman Sachs has long been counseling the health Insurance Industry against any meaningful reform ~ particularly a true public option. It is, in essence, another Wall Street bailout with Main Street footing the bill and ultimately paying the consequences.

Of course, Obama made a deal last year with the for-profit hospital lobby that there would be no national public option in turn for their support for Obama care ~ which amounts to at least 90 billion extra dollars in their pockets.

Of course, Wall Street is now a corrupt and rigged craps game and an unaudited Federal Reserve is free to float this on going ponzi scheme with an unlimited and unaccounted for flow of dollars.

Of course, the country is morally and financially bankrupt while financing two illegal wars and occupations to the tune of 10 to 20 billion dollars a month while Main street suffers an unrelenting depression.

Of course, things look bleak but it's also March and the greatest spectacle of college sports is under way ~ the NCAA National Basketball Championship. The Big Dance is just that ~ 64 college teams seeded from one to sixteen in four regional divisions ~ all with an equal chance to make the Sweet Sixteen, The Elite Eight and just maybe the Final Four.

Half the country is in a bracket pool, as I most certainly am, and right now I'm looking pretty good after the first round. Eleven of my sixteen picks are still alive with four of them high ( 9 -16 ) seeds and one of them #14 seed Ohio shocked mighty #3 seed Georgetown 97- 83. This is truly David slaying Goliath but it's the magic of March Madness and as I said ~ I'm infected ,incurable and contagious.

Here's where I am after the first round ~ Kansas #1 Kansas State #2 Baylor #3 Maryland #4 Butler #5 Tennessee #6 Gonzaga #8 N.Iowa # 9 Georgia Tech #10 Washington #11 and Ohio #14.

My final four prediction #1 Kansas #2 Kansas State #1 Duke or #3 Baylor and #1 Kentucky
My dark horse possibility ~ Baylor #3 beating Duke #1 in the South regional Final which will be held in Houston,Texas.

Final two Kansas vs. Kentucky with Kansas prevailing 68 - 65.

As for politics and world issues ~ they'll still be there after two weeks but right now I'm infected and not curable until after April 5th.

GO BEARS !

Allen L Roland
http://allenlrolandsweblog.blogspot.com

This weblog is sustained through donations from people like yourself. Please send check or Money Order to Allen L. Roland, PO Box 1221, Sonoma,CA 95476 Also accept Visa, MasterCard and Discover ~ call (707) 935-1908.

Allen L Roland is a practicing psychotherapist, author and lecturer who also shares a daily political and social commentary on his weblog and website allenroland.com He also guest hosts a monthly national radio show TRUTHTALK on www.conscioustalk.net

Freelance Alternative Press Online columnist and psychotherapist Allen L Roland is also available for comments, interviews, speaking engagements and private consultations ( allen@allenroland.com )

ONLY THE TRUTH IS REVOLUTIONARY