Don't go away mad, just go away

The line from Motley Crue's song (minus a word, I know) could apply to someone I know, but for now, let's use it as the prevailing theme for this blog entry.

March Madness officially starts in a few hours! W00t!

- Gary Matthews Jr. finally spoke about the allegations linking him to HGH. I'm glad he found some time to finally comment on the situation. Here's the best part of his statement, quoted from ESPN.com:

"Before saying anything publicly I wanted to make absolutely sure of my ground," said the 32-year-old Matthews, who agreed to a $50 million, five-year contract with the Angels in November. "In particular, I needed to try to learn whether anybody in authority -- in or out of baseball -- felt they had reason to accuse me of anything with regard to HGH. If they did, I would have to deal with that.''

He added: "It has taken me, and those representing me, 16 days to make certain that's not the case. And that is why it has taken longer than I would have preferred to make a public statement."

Um...what? It took him 16 days to realize that no one had a reason to accuse him of anything? He needed to be absolutely sure of his ground? What, he wasn't sure he actually took HGH??? Let's see...if I didn't take HGH, and was accused of doing so, I'd say it would take me exactly 16 millseconds to be screaming holy hell. I never knew one of the side effects of HGH was retardation.

(By the way, I don't want anyone here to accuse me of being insensitive for using the word "retardation." One such definition of retardation is, according to m-w.com, "an abnormal slowness of thought or action." I dare anyone to accuse me of misuse of the word.)

I can't believe Angels' owner Arte Moreno is actually happy that Matthews made his statement. What, exactly, is this statement going to do, other than fuel more speculation about Matthews' past?

- Alex Rodriguez says that his future in NY is in the hands of the fans. Alex, what exactly are you thinking? As if these words are going to repair your wrecked image. This guy really needs to stop talking, both for his own good and the good of the Yankees (did I really just type that?). In A-Fraud's (E-Rod?) defense, he's taking way too much flack for his failures in NY, and he's in an absolute no-win situation. He'll always be compared unfavorably with Derek Jeter, and even if A-Rod finally wins a ring, people will point out that Jeter will have five rings to A-Rod's one. A-Rod, do yourself a favor and just stop talking. Stop giving Yankee fan more reason to boo you during the season. By the way, feel free to opt out of your contract at the end of this season, and underachieve with my Dodgers next year!

- Pete Rose bet on his own team, eh? He had that much faith in his team, huh? This guy needs to go away. Sure, he's the all time hits leader, a fierce competitor, and a legend. He's also a gambler, who wagered on games while managing, and there is no place in the sports world for gambling, especially in your own league. Looking at the comments left by ESPN users in the article I linked, I cannot believe how much support he's getting. Heck, the poll on that page shows that 70% of voters--out of ~40,000, so far--are in favor of Rose's reinstatement. Why should we trust that this guy is over his gambling addiction? Why should I believe that he won't gamble again, if he's reinstated into the league? Pete, just keep selling your books, and insist that Selig's unwillingness to reinstate you into Major League Baseball doesn't bother you. Either that, or please just go away.

- And finally, UIGEA, please, please, please just go away! The UIGEA (the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act), piggybacked onto a defense bill by Sen. Bill Frist, took online poker away from me, and I wouldn't mind having it back. Then again, gambling is evil, and I'm glad my US Senators care about me enough to tell me what I should and should not do with my own money. I'm a bit skeptical that the UIGEA will ever be totally repealed; more likely, Congress will allow a US-based company to run a poker-site, under tight regulations. I wouldn't mind that; then again, I haven't played a hand of online poker in months, and nothing will ever replace the donkey farm known as Party Poker.

- As promised, here's my tourney bracket. If the link doesn't work, try copying and pasting the URL. A few thoughts:

1) Yeah, I can't believe I'm picking Pitt over UCLA, either. Unfortunately I have a feeling that the Bruins' last two games were not flukes. Also, since the Bruins lack big bodies, that big stiff Aaron Grey will probably dominate the Bruins, unless he gets into foul trouble.

2) Yes, I know I picked 3 #1s. I have no balls, what can I say? I was really thinking about picking Texas A&M over Ohio State; Acie Law IV might be the most clutch player in all of NCAA basketball this year.

3) I was leaning over taking Georgetown over Florida in the championship, but it's pretty obvious that Florida has hit "the switch."

4) ODU over Butler is the only 5-12 "upset" that I see happening this year.

5) Dick Vitale is awesome; I don't care how annoying he is, but his passion this time of year is remarkable. It is an absolute travesty that he is not yet in the Basketball Hall of Fame.

NCAA Tournament Basketball...it's awesome, baby!