Nothin' could be finer...

Well, that was an anti-climatic ending to the NCAA tourney! North Carolina took all of the drama out of the National Championship game. Before I could get to my second beer, the Heels had built up a double-digit lead, en route to a thrashing of Michigan State. Sherman's March to the Sea seemed liked a quagmire in comparison.

That I could have cared less about the outcome shows maturity, I guess. You see, I grew up with a white-hot hatred of Carolina. Got it from my dad. Not sure why, though. Dad didn't have a real favorite college team---he just hated Carolina. I grew up with a steady diet of racially-tinged epithets hurled at Phil Ford; questions about Dean Smith's sexual preference; suggestions about Mitch Kupchak's ancestry. As the sins of the father passed on to the son, I picked up with similar diatribes against Rich Yonaker, Matt Doherty, even the great Michael Jordan.

These days, I can appreciate Carolina basketball for what it is. When they square off against Duke, I don't have a dog in the hunt. My sports vitriol is now limited to watching Detroit Tiger pitchers struggle, Virginia Tech's offensive line acting like a sieve, and line drives hitting me on the pitcher's mound while playing softball.

Not even good ol' standby UVA is worth my contempt these days. There's a part of me that longs for the era when the Cavs were truly hate-worthy. Trust me, though, I'm more than content for them to continue to play the role of Vanderbilt to our Tennessee.

Where have all the evil forces gone in sports? We no longer have the Russians to root against in the Olympics---China just doesn't do it for me. Barry Bonds is "retired." The Yankees haven't won a World Series in nine years. UVa sucks AND swallows in football. Bobby Bowden passed senility about four exits ago.

The closest thing we may have as a savior in this regard is new Tennessee football coach Lane Kiffin. This guy is going to be fun! Check out my friend's blog about the newest addition to the fraternity of colorful SEC football coaches.

My search for evil will have to go back to the political realm I guess. Not too many good guys there. With the new baseball season, and my one-week free preview of the MLB package, I'll have plenty of opportunities to bitch between now and Sunday.