On the Plate … 1/31/05

Ruminations From A Hiatus

Which of the following is a more pertinent question…

A) If a tree falls in a forest and nobody is around to hear it, does it make a sound?

B) If the CSG doesn't watch any hoops over a weekend in late January and nobody knows about it, should he make a sound?

Quite obviously, the answer is B.

I didn't watch any hoops this past weekend. Yep, none. OK, that's a bit of a lie. I watched the final 3 minutes of Kentucky at Arkansas, the last 6 minutes of the first half of UConn at Notre Dame and several "last channel" flips to G-Tech at Maryland. That's it. No joke. Yep, folks, I took a hiatus. Didn't expect to hear that, did you? Nope.

So what did I do? I'll tell you what I did. I hit up the National Museum of American History with my parents who were in town for a visit. Say wha? Yes, say wha. I took a reprieve from the Saturday mayhem, and got my damn Smithsonian on. Was it glorious? You bet it was. Will I go back? You're GD right. Should you be alarmed that I liked the Smithsonian so much while missing a day of hoops? No, not at all. Why? Because in the "Electricity and Power" section, I, at the behest of my Dad, was frantically text messaging buddies to get a Villanova at Rutgers final score. Remember, now, that I am no longer watching / paying attention to any more of Nova's games this year. At this point, it'd bad luck. And the game wasn't televised anyway. So, in other words, my father and I found solace in the hallowed halls of American history. Until, of course, it became evident that the Cats game had ended and we needed a f'ing score. Well, we got one…Villanova (94) at Rutgers (61). How much do I love the "Electricity and Power" section of the Smithsonian? Let's just say that I am considering buying a cot. Keep that solace coming. And the W's.

Although I may not have physically seen the games, the last time I checked my $0.02 still counted. Yep. Remember that marquee matchup thing I was rambling about last week? Yea, while it might have gotten punked by last Thursday night's slate that included Wake at G-Tech and Washington at Arizona, the theory held up very well over the weekend. All in all, I think it turned out to be a pretty good day for me to check out the Smithsonian. The plate never got that hot. Nevertheless, food still got served. And, I've got some comments. Here they are…quickly…

UVA (73) at Virginia Tech (79) - This is not supposed to happen.

UNC (110) at UVA (76) - Giving up 62 points and being down 36 at halftime isn't supposed to happen either. Could it get any worse in Charlottesville? I mean any worse? Back-to-back losses to V-Tech (V-Tech!) and then an absolute nut-crusher to the Heels? The sweaty one, Peter Gillen, may not be employed for a long while after UVA if this keeps up. I actually feel sorry for Gillen. (And Freddy.) I, however, do not feel sorry for the rest of the punks at UVA. In fact, I'm enjoying the fact that they are awful.

Minnesota (66) at Illinois (89) - Minnesota sucks. When is someone going to hold Dan Monson responsible?

Georgetown (49) at Boston College (64) - The Eagles are still undefeated. Deserves a nod, even if I think they are average at best.

Washington State (70) at Arizona (63) - Two days after beating Washington at home, UofA lays this egg. When someone figures out what occurs in the Pac-10, will you please give me a call, send me a telegram, whatever.

Louisville (105) at Tulane (69) - Don't focus on the specific game here. Just take note of the magnitude with which UL won. Now remind yourself that the Cardinals have been winning at this clip, sans the Cincinnati game, since they lost at Houston. Watch out for Pitino's boys. That's all I'm saying.

Georgia Tech (71) at Maryland (79) - Remember last year around this time when G-Tech was 4-4 in the ACC and people were scratching their heads? Yes, well, also remember that the Yellow Jackets went to the last dance at the Big Show. In other words, don't be too quick in writing off the Jackets. Believe me. As for the Terps, two in a row. What do you know? They're good again. Yep. Always were.

Oklahoma (66) at Iowa State (74) - The Sooners first Big 12 loss. The Cyclones first Big 12 win. How about them apples.

Oklahoma State at Colorado - The Cowboys won in Boulder for the first time in nine years. Nine years? I was shocked when I read that stat. But then again, I do frighten easily.

Michigan (55) at Purdue (84) - Speaking of frightening, this is downright terrifying if you are a Wolverine fan.

Mississippi State (62) at LSU (69) - Only in the SEC West can a team as bad as LSU begin to look good.

Syracuse (69) at Pittsburgh (76) - The Panthers look as if they have finally woken up. That's not good news for the rest of the Big East.

Mississippi (51) at Vanderbilt (73) - A four-game losing skid ended with this W. The Dores second season begins Wednesday when the Vols come to Nashville. If Vandy wins, they get back to .500 in the SEC and the season begins to get really interesting again.

For the record, I read a bunch of my columns from last year around this time to compare my writing then with how I am faring with the new job and all. Frankly, I'm underachieving. Those columns from last year are the shiznit.

Back at ya on Friday…hopefully with some shiznit…coming next weekend - the CSG's State of the Union…stay tuned…that will be the shiznit.