January 29

I know what people say about the NCAA basketball's regular season; that it's just a pre-season tournament with no real point to it, well I beg to differ my friends. Anyone who has followed the season so far should agree. It's been a great season where we've seen that there are a lot of teams who have a chance to go all the way. I know non-conference play can be tedious to watch, but the conference games are great, especially, of course, in the ACC and the Big East. Look, there are about 12 teams with a legit shot at winning the title: North Carolina, Duke, Wake Forest, Pittsburgh, Louisville, Uconn, Oklahoma, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Purdue, Georgetown, and Memphis, and there are even a few more. These teams are all battling it out for those 4 number 1 seeds, and it's been exiting. From upsets of top teams to last second under the basket in-bound plays, we've seen a lot this season. As a sports fan, I appreciate the season because it lets us get to know the teams and it's a lot of fun to watch. No person who calls themselves a sports fan could disagree.

I've never been a big Andy Roddick fan, and I don't think I ever will be, but he impressed me in this Australian Open. He was moving well, he was playing more aggressively, and he just looked like a tennis player, dominating every one of his matches. That is, until he came face to face with the monster. Roger Federer beat Roddick in straight sets and looked just like the champion we've all seen. Roddick played pretty well, but his level of talent is just no match for Federer, and you can't really give him too much grief about this loss. He looked good, and no one expected him to get by Novak Djokovic, but he played very well in that shortened match and he is starting to look like the tennis player he was once supposed to be. I think he'll do very well this year, and he's definitely worth watching. Staying with the Aussie Open for a minute, I am extremely impressed with the play of Fernando Verdasco. This guy came from out of no where to beat a few of the best players in the game. Now he plays his country man in Rafael Nadal, a match that I am looking forward too. They have a very similar style of play, both have excellent footwork and great shot placement, however, Nadal is number 1 for a reason, and I am (boldly, I know) predicting another Federer v. Nadal final. It should be a great one.