Hacksaw on Vacation for a Couple of Day…

Back on Website-next Monday

Thanks for following

Lee

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Hacksaw’s Monday Bonus Podcast…1-30pm
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“MONDAY MADNESS”
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College basketball reaches its chaotic conclusion after what else, a chaotic semi-final in the Men’s Final Four.

But why should that be any different from what we have experienced all year long in college hoops.

Coaches quitting right before the season started (Tony Bennett), coach quitting at midseason (Jim Laranaga), players pouring into the Transfer Portal (2,105) in the first week it opened, while tourney games were going on.

And then we got to Saturday, the semifinals in San Antonio and the chaos no one could predict.

DUKE, most everyone’s favorite, losing a 14-point lead and watching Houston roar from behind to get back to the championship game for the 3rd time in school history.  A shocking outcome considering how great the Player of the Year Cooper Flagg (27P) has been during the tourney.  Stunning to see the Devils, and all that firepower, get one basket in 10-and-a half minutes at one point of the second half.  Amazing to see Duke’s inability to dictate its style and take over the game, breaking the other guys will.  What in the Coach K of the world happened?  Houston happened, that’s what.

HOUSTON should have worn a label on their jersey that read ‘relentless’ because that is why they won, and have won all year long.  It wasn’t just LG Cryer’s explosive (26P) night, or just his 6-three point bombs.  It was the entire roster.  The ones who got 42-rebounds, blocked 6-shots, had 6-steals, and reeled off scoring runs of (10-0) early and (9-0) late to wash away the deficits.  And for Kelvin Sampson, a chance to go where the Cougars have nearly gone in the past, in the Elvin Hayes and Phi Slamma Jamma eras, get to the finals, and now possibly win it.

FLORIDA has been building towards this, getting the chance to cut the nets down, because they have been cutting people down all year long.  Tell me there is anybody as slick, sleek, stylish as Walter Clayton Junior, who went off for (34P) in the Gators win.  And they too were face down in the swamp, down nine points, when Clayton kept running the floor and finding a way to finally get a shot, good or tough, and put it in.  And the Gators showed enormous depth and grit, making Auburn’s top player disappear.  The UF bigs are bangers who put people on the floor.  Onto the finals, on a mission, this group from Gainesville is on.

AUBURN could not find help for its spectacular big man Johni Broome and that’s why their season is over.  He went 13-minutes without a basket in the second half, and outside of the wild shooting of Chad Baker-Mazara, the Tigers just could not score much.  Broome is such a grinder and so gifted, and they did everything possible to run picks and back door passes, but he just could not convert close in with all that traffic around him.  And the refs had their hands full too, a very hard game to call ,with all these super athletes on the floor, playing above the rim, pressuring time after time.  At the end it was ugly, free throws, fouls, too many instant replay reviews, flagrant ones, alot of screaming and yelling.  In the end, Auburn got beat, got mugged, and got a taste of their own medicine, not handling what they had done to so many teams this year.

So we move on to the Monday Night Championship game.  My brackets are now bent, because Duke has gone away.  But the chaos on Saturday is no different that the chaos we have seen all season long.

First thought on the final game of the season….it’s Houston’s push-you-around defense vs Florida’s guards who want to push-it-up-the floor.

1-more night of screaming about anything-everything, in college basketball.
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Hacksaw’s Great Sports Weekend Podcast
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“MARCH MADNESS-END OF THE ROAD”
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A great tournament..a different tournament…it comes to an end this weekend.

Final 4-or as I call it the ‘Southern Fried-Final 4′-because all the teams are from the Deep South.

DUKE-VS-HOUSTON…What a job John Shreyer has done replacinging Coach K.  Recruiting a ton of talent by do-everything freshman star Cooper Flagg.  Complimenting him with other shooters and a bunch of leapers.  Duke makes you play their game.  Tremendous court discipline, not alot of mistakes, pretty tough inside defense.  Watch for baskets from Kon Kneuppel and Tyreese Proctor.

The Cougars, it’s not pretty, it’s pretty gritty.  It’s defense first then whatever they get off the transition from its offense.  Guards and guards and guards, wave after wave.  Get used to the names Cryer-Sharpe-Uzan because everything revolves around them.  And Kelvin Sampson’s team is relentless on defense and going to the glass.

FLORIDA-VS-AUBURN…The Gators have it all, and explosive guard in Walter Clayton, a catalyst who plays under control.  Add a load of bigs, rebounders, shot blockers, transition guys.  UF is the best offensive rebounding team in the nation.

The world knows about the War Eagles’ big forward Johni Broome, what they don’t know is the rest of the team, made up of physical force defenders, led by Denver Jones and an array of bombers.  Auburn is averaging 40% shooting from the three point line and has 3-guys who go long distance.

WHO WINS…Duke’s system breaks Houston’s spirit.  Florida, too many athletes, takes down Auburn.

Enjoy it.  It’s a prelude to what will be a wild game on Monday night in the finals.
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Hacksaw’s Thursday Podcast..1-30pm
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“WHO HAD THE BETTER WEEK”
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Simple Question.  Easy Answer.

Maybe both.  Both the Padres and the Aztecs.

The Friars go where they never have been before.  The start the year (7-0), best start ever in 57-years in San Diego.  Best homestand start to a season too.

The Aztecs pick themselves up off the floor, a week after the horrible humiliation loss to North Carolina in the play-in games at the NCAA tourney, and days after what appeared to be the devastating loss of 3-top players.  They look to be back now.

The Padres played on the edge. Home runs, walks, stolen bases, a theft of home, good starting pitching, almost unhittable work out of the bullpen, and a pile of big plays on defense.

Then the signing of a 9-year extension for ‘The Kid’, budding star Jackson Merrill at a very payroll friendly (15M) per year, a deal that kicks in next season.

An explosive fun week for the fans, much like the back half of last season when the Friars went (43-19) down the stretch to storm into the playoffs.

San Diego State, reeling from the decisions made by Magoon Gwath, Nick Boyd and possibly Miles Byrd, bounced back.

Gwath changed his mind, his comfort zone with Brian Dutcher, a key part of his basketball growth.  Then SDSU went out and got a 6’9-transfer forward in Jeremiah Oden from DePaul and then Louisiana Tech point guard Sean Newman.

State may still have 3-more scholarships to use before the Portal closes, and there are tons of players out there to go fill roles.

It is something to look at the standings in baseball and see the Brown & Gold and Dodger Blue with a combined (15-0) record to start the season.

Some week for the fans in San Diego, the Friars storming out of the gate, and the SDSU recovery from the bad start to their off season.

The initial question, who had the better week?  How about the two teams and its fans?

On we go..lots of baseball to be played and more basketball players to sign.
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Hacksaw’s Monday Bonus Podcast
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“DODGERS-VS-TRUMP”
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You win a Championship, the tradition is your team gets invited for a celebration at the White House.

The Dodgers won the World Series, and they believe winning the ring entitles them to lots of honors, and that includes the invitation.

But the White House has been embroiled in controversy from the minute the Trump administration told the country he had a mandate to change America.

And that includes immediate deportations, massive job cuts, attacks on judges, wars of words with long time allies, and tariffs upon tariffs, plus Executive Order after Order about everything Trump believes needs to be changed.

He says he has a right.  The order of law says he does not.

It now involves lawsuits upon lawsuits, and judges who have ruled 130-times in 6-weeks that Trump’s moves violate the Constitution.

The Dodgers are caught in a real crossfire.  A legacy franchise, believing this is a once in lifetime experience they should accept, for the photo op outfront of the White House next week.

The LA Times, in a strongly worded column by Dylan Hernandez, denounced the decision.

You tell me who you agree with?  The right to go?  Does it represent.  a political statement?  Or is it a bonus deserved for the players who won the ring?

Comments from the LA Times critical column:  You be the judge
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LA Times..Criticizes Dodgers decision to attend White House ceremony honoring World Series win…Comments included:
..Why go on bended knee to a hateful president
..How pathetic-how spineless
..This franchise broke barriers..how be with someone not stand social progress
..Dodgers contributing to Trump rhetoric
..See Dodgers legacy-you know Trump legacy
..LA has welcome people all backgrounds
..Trump campaigns Xenophobia-Lies-Insults-Meanness
..Dodgers risk losing their distinct place in history

Dodgers..President Stan Kasten response:  Winning A World Championship brings honor…Going to the White House is one of them…This is not political.
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