It's my favorite time of the sporting year, outside of football season of course. And it's almost here... when athletes, coaches and team from around the nation look for their one shining moment on the college hardwood. The NCAA Tournament is the greatest championship there is in collegiate sports for one reason - they decided it on the court - and not one poll, or computer, or beat writer has a say in who takes home the hardware!

So here a few fearless predictions for this week's conference tournaments...
- Ole Miss will beat Georgia, but lost to Kentucky. The Rebs don't go dancin'
- MSU will play themselves into the Tourney Final in Atlanta, and lose to Tennessee
- JSU won't do much on the men's side of things, but the ladies will win it all and punch their ticket to the Big Dance

So what about you? What will go down? Let me hear your thoughts...

Christian

Carl Edwards is on fire... literally. He has now "won" back to back races on the Sprint Cup circuit since NASCAR shifted to the west coast! He won last week's Auto Club 500 at Fontana, and then took this weeks UAW-Dodge 400 in Las Vegas. But while he's burning up the track, his team is also taking heat from NASCAR.

His car failed it's post race inspection in Sin City on Sunday. The oil tank cover was completely off of the 99 Fusion when inspected after Edwards' win. The car was impounded and taken to NASCAR's Research & Development Center in Concord, N.C. If the lid cover is loose or off, it can give the car a slight aerodynamic advantage. Even if it doesn't, the rule states you have to have it and it must be secured.

NASCAR is turning into major league baseball these days, and it's a borderline WWE event every time they take the track. Everyone is cheating... drivers, crew chiefs and team owners and their "illegeal" activity seem to dominate headlines from race to race the last few years. It's sad really, because winning is all that matters, right? And NASCAR won't strip a team of a win EVEN if the car fails inspection, so would any of us stop cheating if our victory didn't go out the window with our integrity?

And just think what men like The Intimidator would say about today's world of racing?

Sad, isn't it?

Christian

What up Mississippi -

So it's here, the state tournament at the BIG HOUSE, and as always the competition will be fierce and the action intense. Here are my picks for the High School version of the Big Dance:

5A Boys - Provine. Luther Riley's club is too good, and so is the guy going to U-CONN! Scottie Haralson can play. Wingfield is good, but the Rams are better.

4A Boys - Vicksburg. A bit of an underdog most of the season... they beat Lanier twice this year and are primed to take a Gator bite out of the competition

3A Boys - Aberdeen. At 33-3 coming in... the record speaks for itself.

2A Boys - I'm going with Newton here. Why? They've won 24 in a row.

1A Boys - Myrtle. The 1-A runners-up from a year ago take home the hardware in '08.

So who do you pick? Be bold or go home. Let us hear from you!

For a look at the girls bracket... check out "The Better Half"

Christian

What up Mississippi?

Well the 50th running of the Great American Race is in the books, and my question is this, is it really the greatest American event we have in stock-car racing anymore? Don't get me wrong... the history is deep, and the hype is huge, plus the gravity of the race is hard to measure - what other sport has it's biggest event lead off each year? My only point is that restrictor plate racing isn't the pure form of what NASCAR was built on, and in the biggest race of the year with the largest prize at stake, shouldn't we see cars max out and not have to rely on teammates to get them over the top in the last-lap, bump drafting game it has become?

Ryan Newman is a deserving champ, and Kurt Busch for once didn't come off looking like a punk when it was all said and done. But we all know Kyle Busch had the best car, and Tony Stewart is the best driver... too bad their egos and pride didn't allow one of them to play the self-less act of second fiddle. If so... Gibbs racing would have won another Daytona 500... instead Roger Penske ended his 23-year drought by the beach.

But we all know... the best car and the best driver... didn't win this year's "Great American Race"

Christian

So here it is... divisional playoff time for yet another season on the hardwood in high school! So here's how I see it going down people...

Lanier is loaded, and they'll be the team to take on in 4A ball once again if you want to win a title! I like Callaway a lot, they're young and play with no fear. You're right, Provine is solid and coach Luther Riley may just repeat with the Rams... and I love what Wingfield has as far as talent and athleticism! If they can just play sound ball, and limit turnovers, they may do damage! And watch out for NW Rankin and Canton, they may just surprise some people!

Let me know what you think... my predictions to come before the State tourney begins!

CT

Congrats to Eli Manning, for proving his critics wrong with one hoist of the Lombardi Trophy! The guy deserves all the credit in the world... he rallied his New York Giants to score 14 points in the 4th quarter and beat the undefeated New England Patriots in one of the biggest upsets of all time! And on that final drive to win it all, showed that true mental toughness isn't always worn on your sleeve, it comes from the heart!

Think about it... from the miracle escapes of the Patriots D-Line, to David Tyree's epic one-hand catch off his helmet, to the final fade route to Plaxico Burress that sealed the deal against an all out blitz - Eli proved he CAN do it HIS way... and for that all of Mississippi is proud!

Big news from the world of Ole Miss football. Frmer Madison Central star quarterback Jared Foster has been arrested for the use and distribution of illegal steriods in Madison County. He was taken into custody earlier today in Oxford, and was transported back to Madison County where he will go before a judge on Thursday

Here's the background... Foster led Gulf Coast community college to a co-national championship on the football field last fall. He was set to sign with Ole Miss on February 6th, and had already enrolled for the spring semester, moving into his new place of residence in Oxford on January 8th. It was also highly certain that Foster would redshirt the upcoming season

Coach Houston Nutt has kicked Foster off the team, and revoked his scholarship.

It's another tough blow for a kid with such a promising athletic career, one we all want to see succeed, but here's a young man who can't keep himself out of trouble. Let's hope this isn't the end of his dream of playing Division I football

Christian

Congrats to the Bayou Bengal nation for their big win last night in the BCS National Title Game! What a scene it was inside the Superdome, where more than 90,000 fans piled into the stadium on Poydras Street to watch the LSU Tigers take on the Ohio State Buckeyes with the eyes of the nation watching from coast to coast! And don't be fooled, about 70,000 of those crazies inside were wearing purple and gold!

A few quick thoughts for you... while you can't take anything away from the players and coaches at LSU who prepared hard and fought the entire season to get themselves into position to win a National Title, you can fault the system that we all have to live with it. Plain and Simple, the BCS is illegitimate. It does not work, it's a sham on reality, and worst of all it punishes the people whose dollars drive all major sports - the fans.

It's time we go to a playoff. And don't tell me about corporate contracts, or bowl history, or tradition and point to that nonsense as an "excuse" for why we can't have one! It works in the NFL, it works for college basketball, and it even works for women's college softball and every high school sport in America! It's the American way, to decide it on the field, win or go home.

Hawaii vs. Georgia was a joke. Illinois got embarrassed by USC. And nobody cares about Virgina Tech taking on Kansas! Those BCS games meant nothing... but if they were all national quarterfinal or "Elite 8" match-ups in a playoff bound for a true legitimate National Title game... credibility would instantly return to the game we all love!

What do you think? Is it time, once and for all, for a playoff? Let me know

P.S. Holy Jambalaya... I'm hurting today! Can you say food poisoning?

Christian

What is up Mississippi?

Here's hoping that 2008 is full of good health, happiness, and opportunity for you and yours! It's always an exciting time come the turn of the new year, simply because its a chance at a fresh start and a new beginning! And as humans, we're always in need of a kick-start or 2nd chance... it's just how life is! Plus as sports fans, there's always that optimism that maybe, just maybe, this will be the year that our team gets its done! Seasons of change renew our hope and build our strength to go back out and tackle all that life has to offer!

With that being said... I'm excited to let you know about some new changes coming at 16 WAPT Sports! First of all, my wife Christi and I will continue to blog and encourage your feedback! Seriously, we want to hear from you! We're excited about posting your blogs, and giving you a forum to express your thoughts on your favorite teams, or a big issue in sports, or maybe just your take on the state of affairs in the sports world here in the Magnolia State! We'll each write two entries a week, and will post yours as soon as we receive them!

We're also going to add a new video blog from Brittany that will be posted on Fridays! She'll look ahead to the weekend in sports, or maybe a major talking point that is lighting up the airways, and of course she'll add her opinion and take on the landscape of the athletic world!

Plus, we'll be expanding our coverage on the web and giving you more stories to read, up to date scores and information, plus expanded bonus video coverage... all the way from the high school level to the college and universities we cover right here in the Metro! It's our job to get you the sports news you crave, and we're committed to doing it!

Again, we at 16 WAPT Sports wish you all the best in '08!

Happy New Year!!

Christian