Meanwhile, At Other Venues

I don’t know why, but I am inclined to post a few thoughts about some other sports.

There’s no sarcasm like sports sarcasm like no sarcasm I know.

Few people outside Fairfax, VA, thought George Mason University should have made the field of 64 let alone the Final Four, but they are going to the biggest dance despite all the naysayers.   Yesterday, continuing their improbable run, they beat heavily favored UConn to advance.  The game was played at Washington, DC’s, Verizon Center and the following sign was sighted behind the bench:

Can you hear us now?

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *

The Sixers, meanwhile, are going absolutely nowhere and the fault lies squarely with inept GM Billy King.  King has been the head man for six seasons now and at no time has he shown himself capable of assembling anything remotely resembling a championship quality team.  Oh, sure, the Sixers have made it to the playoffs a few times during King’s reign, but they did so by virtue of playing in a weak division.

King is neither a shrewd judge of talent, salary cap management, drafting, nor wheeling and dealing.  And things should get worse as Allen Iverson ages.

If King were managing the Phillies or coaching the Eagles the locals would have demanded his head a long time ago, but, truth be told, not enough people really care about the Sixers to raise a ruckus.

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *

Speaking of playoff teams, the Flyers were picked by many people to go deep into the playoffs this season if not all the way.  By the Winter Olympic break they were a struggling team and shortly after the intercession they looked even worse.  The reasons were many but chief among them were a rash of injuries, nagging and worse, to key players.

Well, most of them are back in business and the Fly boys may be peaking at just the right time.  Wins over the Rangers in New York and Ottawa at home were big boosts to their confidence and came despite the fact that their goalie situation remains unsettled.   If Ken Hitchcock resolves that question successfully (the guess here is Antero Niittymaki wins the starting role) they could be playing hockey in Philadelphia deep into the playoffs.