Well, So Much for 162-0

I guess a lot of people want to know how the Opening Day party at Who's on First went, so here's the Cliff's Notes version: Woke up to find about the early wake-up call for Yanks fans. I was interviewed over the phone Monday and told my family to get the paper Tuesday. After reading my boring quotes, my uncle wanted his 50 cents back.

But c'mon, at least I wasn't the guy who said, "It's a little weird, but I'll be all right." Jesus. That made it over my analysis about how Yankees fans have to take the good with the bad when their team is the global face of Major League Baseball?

Reminds me of when I visited a baseball card shop with CNN in 2001 for the 50th anniversary of Topps, gave them a lot of good stuff on the evolution of hobby shops and online auctions, walked in and out of the shop like five times till they shot it right, listened to the cameraman and producer fight with each other, and they used like five seconds of me pointing out some banal fact about a 1956 Ted Williams card. (Oh, speaking of CNN, here's how to get easy air time. If they shoot interviews in a "busy" newsroom where you happen to work, just walk through the background for no reason or send something worthless to the printer and hover over it forever while in camera view, of course.

I used to do it all the time.) The New York Times came in to shoot candid scenes from the bar at 6 a.m.

Maybe they found out about the party through the Daily News. Or maybe they found out through PK.com (the News did).

Anyway, you haven't seen people looking so unnatural while trying to be natural as when a Times photographer is popping his flash all over the place. Especially when half of them hadn't gone home from the previous night and were wasted off their asses. I pointed out to the guy that he could take a picture of me reading my Times with breakfast at the bar, but he said that's something the Post would do.

It definitely didn't feel like Opening Day. It felt like I chore. I cursed Bud Selig in the shower at 4:30 a.

m. The game felt like it had absolutely no importance whatsoever. I'm still waiting for Aston Kutcher to tell us we'd been punk'd and that the Yankees' season will start for real in America next week.

New York state has to do something about the law that prohibits liquor sales before 8 a.m. Fucking game ended at 7:59 a.

m., just in time for a Miller Lite I didn't want but, let's face it, had to have. You go to a bar to watch a game, you gotta throw one down.

There's really no option. At least we didn't spend $25 on a breakfast buffet at ESPN Zone, , who failed to follow Rule No. 1 on how to react when your team fails and you have an AP photographer pointing at you: ACT LIKE A MAN!

A blast from the past: trading cards issued locally to warn kids of the dangers of drugs. Christian Laettner's card reads, "Whether it is a teammate or an opponent, show good sportsmanship by respecting their feelings. Respect yourself by not trying cocaine.

The first time can kill." This is a guy who once stepped on an opponent's chest while he was laid out on his back. Joe Concha gets cranky on us this week.

C'mon, the One Shining Moment montage is still cool. After Syracuse won last year, we all loved seeing it. Of course, if your team is Stanford.

.. Thank god.

The Yanks were on the preview issue's cover the last three years and didn't win one World Series (although we got to two, most in the majors over that time, same number as the Red Sox since 1967). SI picks Cubs over Yanks in the Fall Classic. I think the last time they were right about an eventual champ was before one of those Ali-Frazier fights.

Each baseball season brings with it a new sense of hope. The hope that one's favorite team adds a 27th World Series title to its resum . The hope that Manny Ramirez breaks both legs or at least one severely.

The hope that Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte practice safe sex on their Houston Honeymoon. The hope that Cubs and Red Sox fans have plenty of Kleenex handy in this, their Season of Expectations. (Neither franchise exactly conjures up the word "clutch," if you know what I mean.

) As the Yankees' 2004 Tears Across MLB Tour readies to kick off in Japan on Tuesday, here's how I see the season shaping up: 1. Yankees The AL champs, who've won 103 and 101 games wins in the last two years, respectively, now feature a bolstered bullpen and the best back-up shortstop in baseball history. 2.

Red Sox Finished behind the Yankees six straight years, even with career years in 2003 for Bill Mueller, Kevin Millar, David Ortiz, Trot Nixon and Jason Varitek. 3-5. Blue Jays, Orioles, Devil Rays Or, as I like to call them, speed bumps.

1. Twins This division absolutely blows, and I guess Minnesota blows least. 2.

White Sox They'd better win the division, because it might take 100 victories to win the wild-card. 3-5. Royals, Indians, Tigers Remember when the Indians absolutely dominated this division?

It was like an oasis in a half-century of sucking. Welcome back! 1.

Athletics Lost a lot in the offseason, but I love their starting pitching (and inability to win a series in the postseason). Still owe them thank-you cards for 2000 and 2001. 2-3.

Mariners, Angels The Angels made a splash in the offseason, but the M's are always a threat to win 92-95 games. (Except for the time they won 116 and lost to the Yankees in the postseason.) 4.

Rangers Like an ugly friend among three hot broads. 1. Phillies Embrace the pressure, Phils fans, and try not to throw up on yourselves.

2. Braves The Braves' 12-year run as division champs has to end at some point. After losing Sheffield, Lopez and Maddux, this is probably it.

3. Marlins Meet the 2004 version of the 2003 Angels. 4.

Mets The offseason acquisitions of Shane Spencer, Karim Garcia and Todd Zeile could be enough to vault the Mets ahead of the Expos (as opposed to last year). 5. Expos Wait, they had a winning season in 2003?

1. Cubs Great starting pitching and illegal bats make for a deadly combination. 2.

Astros Who's gonna break the news to Roger that he can't join Andy on the mound during games? 3. Cardinals Should be a typical St.

Louis season: solid, not quite scary. 4,5,6. Pirates, Reds, Brewers All least their new stadiums are nice.

1. Giants Only two everyday players remain from 2002: J.T.

Snow and the guy with contacts at BALCO. 2, 3, 4, 5. Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Rockies, Padres Even the Dodgers, with Robin Ventura batting fifth and Jeff Weaver as a No.

3 starter, are expected to compete for this lousy division. Yawn. Odds to Win World Series: Yankees +140, Red Sox +200 and Cubs +250 lead the way.

Comparatively, the A's might be a good value at +1000, which is what the D-Backs are at, and they're horrible. The Mets are at +3300 and the Brewers bring up the rear at +25000. Player Who Will Fail the First Steroid Test Will Be.

.. American born -130, foreign born -110.

I'd have to go American on this one, but are there going to be any steroid tests where the identity of players are publicly released? Will [Enter Player Here] Test Positive for Steroid Use before Dec. 31, 2004?

Odds for Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi and Gary Sheffield are all the same: Yes +250, No -400. See above. I don't think it'll ever happen.

The government just wants to track down distributors. They're not looking to bring down MLB stars. And MLB sure doesn't give a shit.

Which Team Will Commit the Most Errors in 2004? The Tigers lead at +400, but you might have a shot with the Yanks at +2000, which is where the Red Sox are at, as well. Which Team Will Hit the Most Home Runs in 2004?

The Yankees are an even bet, with the Red Sox next at +400 and the Cubs at +500. Which Player Will Record the Most RBIs in 2004? Alex Rodriguez is in front at +200, with Albert Pujols closest at +350.

I kinda like Jason Giambi at +1000, especially considering he'll be batting behind Jeter and A-Rod. Which Player Will Record the Most BBs in 2004? The only way Barry Bonds (-400) doesn't take the crown is if he misses playing time.

Jim Thome and Sammy Sosa are both next at +500. Of those three, only Thome hasn't been accused of cheating. First Manager to Resign or Be Fired: Philadelphia's Larry Bowa is the best bet at +200.

Least likely is Atlanta's Bobby Cox at +1800. Ken Rosenthal has the Cubs No. 1, with the teams from the AL West ranked among the top eight, three teams from the NL Central in the top nine and nobody from the AL Central ranked higher than the Twins at 14.

A chronological history of amazing Boston Red Sox losses, remarkable collapses and other record-breaking feats. I love the fact that this site sponsors the doomed . Lots of people take pictures of bridges.

takes pictures on bridges. Since 1993, the New York-based photographer has scaled 15 of New York's historic spans to capture truly unique views of perhaps the world's most photographed city. His effort to complete a coffee table book was curtailed due to security concerns stemming from the terrorist attacks of 9/11, but Dave keeps his dream alive.

We wouldn't have it any other way. Let's find out more about his captivating work..

. 1. What's the status of your project now?

From which bridges have you photographed, and which remain on your wish list? My project at this time is basically on hold. In 2002 the Port Authority was very kind in allowing me to photograph the George Washington Bridge, twice within three weeks.

It was awesome! All the other bridge authorities have denied me access to their bridges. I really need some full-length views of all the bridges.

This view would be the first image seen in my eventual book. I have only a few bridges with this view, but all the repairs and reconstruction has made this difficult. At this point I have photographed all the most well-known bridges in New York City.

There are really only two bridges that I need to complete the photographs required for this book: the "Truss Span" of the Triborough Bridge and the Henry Hudson Bridge. These bridges also have had a lot of repair work. I was almost ready to start climbing and photographing them but then 9/11 came into the picture.

2. What was the process in getting access to climb these bridges pre-9/11? And weren't you scared to death up there?

It took a lot of patience, phone calls, begging, pleading and the usual red tape for all the agencies involved to allow me to do this. I had to prove to them that my motives were sincere and I had the skills and qualifications to accomplish such a daring project. My 20+ years of gymnastics definitely helped me in my climbing skills and carrying all the heavy equipment.

All the authorities involved with this project now realize how beautiful their bridges really are. As for the height, it doesn't faze me one bit. Don't think I don't respect height, because you're asking for trouble if you don't.

I never really had any fear of heights, even when I was a small boy. I remember one time my grandfather took me to the observation deck of the Empire State Building, and I just loved looking straight down and seeing how small the people and cars were. This fascinated me!

My grandfather, however, was scared to death! 3. The sheer numbers associated with these bridges are staggering.

How high above the city have you stood and what is the length and weight of some of these monstrous works? Bridges are engineering marvels! The only structures that might come close are the great pyramids of Egypt.

Buildings are fascinating, too, but no structure is as amazing as a bridge, especially suspension bridges. As for some bridge facts, the longest suspension bridge in the United States and in New York is the mighty Verrazano-Narrows. It is 4,260 feet between the towers, 60 feet longer than the Golden Gate Bridge.

Its towers are 693 feet high, and the tops of the towers are 1 5/8ths further apart at the top than at the base, due to the curvature of the earth. This was intended to keep them perfectly perpendicular. The roadway (or deck) changes 12 feet between the cold of winter and the heat of summer.

The weight of the suspended roadway is 51,000 tons. Each three-foot-diameter main cable can withstand the pull of approximately 180 million pounds! 4.

Which bridge do you admire most? The bridge I admire and love the most is the great George Washington Bridge. I have crossed this bridge more than any other and after studying this masterpiece of engineering.

I realized that no other bridge can close in terms of aesthetics and the way it was engineered. If it were not for the GWB all modern bridges may not have been built, including the so-called famous Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. The GWB was Othmar Ammann's first large bridge, and it was also his favorite.

His daughter, Margot, has referred the GWB as her sister. 5. Do you think your work presents a security threat?

I believe it my work poses NO threat to the safety and security of the New York Bridges or any bridges. My work is "fine art," and is not showing the critical areas of any bridge. That's what makes my scenario so sad.

If any terrorist wanted to cause any harm to a bridge, building or EC, my photographs or anyone else's photographs would NOT be the cause. They would look for plans and blueprints. Unfortunately, at this time, I have to abide by the strict rules and regulations of the bridge authorities that do not let me access their facilities.

Luckily, there are some people who realize what I am trying to accomplish and allow me to take some photographs, within reason. I do hope in the near future that things calm down enough to where I can return to do what I do best! 6.

What kind of equipment do you use? I use quite a few photographic tools to accomplish this monumental task of capturing these magnificent "sculptures" on film. My main tool is the Hasselblad 2000 FCW camera.

For most of my work I use a 40 mm lens. It's a wide-angle lens that's very sharp and gives me the "vision" I require. Actually, I have two; one as a back-up.

It uses 120 film and makes negatives 6x6 CM (centimeters). My mainstay is black-and-white, but I do use color sometimes. As for slides and smaller camera work, I use with my two Leica R5s.

For the Hasselblad, I use exclusively a "GYRO" to stabilize the movements of the camera. Most of my work wouldn't be possible because of all the vibrations and movements on the bridges. All my equipment is tethered to me, and my safety harness with steel cables and nylon straps.

Nothing can leave my person when I am up on a bridge. I take safety very seriously. 7.

Tell us about the effect these bridges have had on the social and cultural history of New York City? New York bridges are one of a kind. The United States began on the East coast, so it seems appropriate that modern bridge-building began here.

Bridges are connectors. They connect people and cultures, cities and towns. Since waterways have to be kept open, bridges are the ideal solution to allow people and transportation vehicles to go to from one place to another.

Ferries have their purpose, but bridges do the same function a lot faster. Visually, bridges are a permanent connection to land masses. For example, because of the Brooklyn and George Washington Bridges, both Brooklyn and New Jersey have grown culturally and physically over the many years both bridges have been in existence.

The same can be said about Staten Island. Staten Island had a very small percentage of New York City's population. After the completion of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, the population in Staten Island practically exploded.

8. How has your website, , and the Internet in general, helped you to promote your work? It took me some time after friends hounded me to get a website that I finally moved forward to have one made up!

I'm very glad I listened to them. I've been getting responses and compliments from people all over the world! I've been contacted by many film and documentary producers and others needing photographs of New York bridges and technical information.

I'm considered an historian on the history and building of New York bridges, so the website helps everyone. Since I started this project, I have images that no one else has, especially since the tragic events of 9/11. I literarily have hundreds of images of the World Trade Center towers that were taken from the tops of many city bridges.

I have sold some work from my site, and some bridge contractors have even hired me to do some photographic work for them. That's the best job in the world. To be paid to do something one LOVES to do!

9. How can one order prints of your photographs? If one wants to order "fine art" prints from me, all one would have to do is and decide which image he or she would like.

I usually have several print sizes and, of course, different price ranges. Most people do not know the value of a fine art photograph and the countless hours it takes to produce one. When most people see my prices they shy away, not realizing that I have and the skill required to produce a print entirely by hand.

The average person cannot afford a fine print by Ansel Adams. My work may have a different subject matter from Ansel but my fine-art quality is equivalent to his. 10.

Has Osama bin Laden tried to order any prints? No, Osama bin Laden hasn't tried to purchase any prints, nor has anyone else connected with terrorism. Believe me, If I knew of ANY terrorist that was trying to purchase prints or obtain information about the bridges, I would either turn him in myself or call the FBI immediately.

I do sincerely hope someday soon that all these terrorists are captured and prosecuted so everyone can feel a little more at ease. 11. What are some of your favorite photography-related websites?

My favorite photography-related websites are the , and . Also, has a nice site! If I had a million dollars I could go on a major spending spree!

12. Do you have any upcoming presentations where those interested can check out your work? I am giving a slide show and lecture as part of the March 30 at 49 Fulton Street (Manhattan), Suite 8-J, at 6:30 p.

m. I'll be bringing with me some extra bridge artifacts, and I believe there will be a big crowd! I have also invited all the people I know from all the bridge authorities and some others.

As far as a large photographic presentation I really don't have any displays now or in the near future. I really need the time and some funds to print up some large prints to be displayed in a major gallery. Since I work for myself and can't seem to find enough time, it may be awhile before I can have a fine gallery display.

Paul's Recap: Thanks to Dave for taking PK.com to new heights! I caught one of his slide shows and lectures awhile back, and I was floored by the captivating images and stories that he shared.

I recommend that anyone interested in photography or New York history take advantage of the opportunity this coming Tuesday to experience the same. Dave's photography is not only beautiful but inspirational. We should all have a passion that will someday leave behind a legacy of great work.

Just like those guys who made Hamburger...

the Motion Picture. Nashville at night was just as I'd hoped, an oasis of live country music, beer and friendly folk of all ages. During the day, I was reminded of the Dallas Winston line in The Outsiders: "What do they do for fun around here, play checkers or something?

" The evening action was best downtown, in a lower Broadway strip of honky tonks that was a bit of a mini-Bourbon Street, but without the pressure to drink till you turned inhuman. First-rate, full-time musicians catered to the tourist crowd (85%, as quoted to me by one singer) by playing contemporary country covers, from George Strait to Garth Brooks. The two most popular tunes were Toby Keith's I Love This Bar and the Charlie Daniels Band's Devil went Down to Georgia.

If you're gonna play in Texas, the song goes, ya gotta have a fiddle in the band. And so it is in Nashville. The daytime action was, well, nowhere.

I'd expected to be wowed by huge guitar shops and an overwhelming musical personality. Instead, we walked and walked (and walked) from Music Row to around Vanderbilt to downtown passing a million churches along the way trying to find something distinctive. Instead we found exhaustion, though the gorgeous mid-70s weather was easy to deal with.

We stayed in the heart of Music Row, but unknown to us was that the name comes from the area's abundance of music industry offices and studios and not an indication of honky tonks, music shops or, god forbid, a decent place to eat. There is a strip of bars that's trying to define itself as a Nashville destination, but it wasn't nearly as lively as downtown, and certainly not before 10 p.m.

We hit perhaps the city's most popular tourist spot, the Country Music Hall of Fame, an attractive modern facility that pays homage to pioneers of a music genre that still isn't popular enough in New York to warrant a country radio station. On display were instruments and outfits played and worn by everyone from Johnny Cash to Faith Hill, plus an enormous wall display of gold and platinum albums, Elvis Presley's Cadillac limo and gold-plated piano and a ring of plaques honoring Hall inductees. I saw Willie Nelson's sneakers which, no doubt, were kickin'.

Alas, Dolly Parton's bra was nowhere to be found. My Orangemen took it on the chin in their Sweet 16 matchup with Alabama. They got beat every which way in the game, but credit the Crimson Tide for preparing for an unfamiliar team and executing in the clutch, specifically in terms of outside shooting.

I'll take eight tournament wins in two years every time, so thanks to all the Orangemen who played so great over that span. Dale Earnhardt is alive and well in Nashville. One guy in Legends Corner played a bass that payed tribute to The Intimidator, and the Stage had a No.

3 guitar on its wall. Oh, Wrangler jeans are also alive and well down there. Bands are pretty aggressive with tips passing around the tip jug every 30 minutes or so.

Can't blame them, since there is no cover, but it is a different experience from New York, where bands make their money off a $5-10 cover charge. How can you tell that the honky tonks on Broadway between Fourth and Fifth Avenues are tourist spots? The Stage's ATM had a withdrawal limit of $100, with a $2.

50 service charge. Average price of domestic bottles of beer were $3.50, about 25% percent less than in NYC.

I'm gonna be in Nashville from Wednesday-Friday, so PK.com is shutting down operations till at least the weekend. Going for no other reason than I really dig country music and wanna check it out, but the timing works out great, as I'm rooting for local school Vanderbilt to upset UConn on Thursday night and hopefully set up a Saturday matchup with my Syracuse Orangemen, who play Alabama in the late regional semi-final.

While I'm not expecting an easy time of it in SEC country imagine if SU and Vandy end up playing for the Final Four and I'd stayed a day later? I am relieved to see that . (New York received the top overall score, when factoring a variety of categories.

) "Commemorate the Boston Red Sox 2003 American League Championship with this unique minted collectible that will last forever!" (Or at least as long as a Tim Wakefield knuckleball.) So says , submitted as a web find by my buddy Scott.

"Each Coin is protected in a clear capsule for protective purposes and presented in a Velour jewelry box as well as accompanied by a certificate of authenticity!" Uh-huh. And who authorized it?

P.T. Barnum?

Michael Milken? Milli Vanilli? Roberto Alomar's career with the Mets?

Mo Vaughn's career with the Mets? Tom Glavine's career with the Mets? Jeff Kent's, Jeromy Burnitz's, Roger Cedeno's .

.. oh, you get the point.

"Limited edition of only 5000!" That's the same number minted for the 2003 NL "champion" Chicago Cubs. Amazingly, .

Sir, a Mr. Bartman on Line 1. Please be advised this product will ship approx.

Oct. 20th. Or never.

Aaron Boone's home run landed in the left-field seats at Yankee Stadium on Oct. 17, 2003, at 12:16 a.m.

That was when car horns exploded around the city and strangers everywhere hugged. No bullshit. Now if you want the real deal, sports fans, order up , commemorating our sixth world Series appearance in eight years.

The Red Sox have advanced to only four World Series (1946, 1967, 1975, 1986) in over eight decades, losing each in Game 7. I tell ya, when it comes to losing, you guys are gold! Can't wait for the 2004 version to be discontinued, as well.

MAJOR UPDATE! Just found on eBay: This thanks to a ninth-inning grand slam by Bill Buckner. Way to go, Sox!

Was gonna lead the site before the Red Sox coin came through. RetroCrush puts together another fun feature, this time starring Joe Pesci (ugh), Billy Bob Thornton (double-ugh) and Ned Beatty (excuse me for a minute). If it's up the ass, it's as safe as abstinence, right?

That's what contend. (Thanks, Tracy) What The Simpsons would be like if it were situated not in Springfield but in Bombay. I've been meaning to link to this forever, but it had kept being shutting down, presumably from heavy traffic.

But you know how the Internet breaks down: 90% porn, 5% Simpsons, 3% fantasy sports, 2% Simpsons porn. Rep. Henry A.

Waxman's "searchable collection of 237 specific misleading statements about the threat posed by Iraq made by the five Administration officials most responsible for providing public information and shaping public opinion on Iraq: President Bush, Vice President Cheney, Defense Secretary Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Powell, and National Security Advisor Rice." Blogrunner's empirical study of whose work gets linked to the most. A host of New York Times writers dominate the top 20.

I cannot, for the life of me, figure out the supreme popularity of No.1 blog heavyweight . Seems to be filled with rather ordinary opinion, in a rather ordinary writing style, filled with links that aren't descriptive enough for my tastes ("not gone remarked," "hedging," "blog," "this").

It's like a page of "click here" links that are inherently unconvincing. (Originally found on ) YOU ARE ONE LUCKY SON OF A BITCH..

. reads the top of NYC rock band latest press release, which arrived at my apartment recently, along with the two CDs pictured (I Gotta Bang Her and The Day After You), plus a tequila lobster rolls recipe that includes a 750ml bottle of Patron A ejo and 3 to 4 marijuana cigarettes (rolled pretty fat). This could only be the work of one man: longtime PK.

com supporter Tequila Dave. I've yet to meet Dave in person, but I've seen his name in lights on the screen of a cash register at , the Upper East Side biker joint. Any old fool can earn a nameplate on the spot at the bar where he drank himself to death, but how many customers' tabs are programmed right into the permanent register display, right next to "domestic bottle" and "premium shot?

" And how many of them could pump out songs like My Little Rugburns, You're Pretty Sick for a Mother of Two, You Need Dick and I'm a Pain in Your Ass? Straight-up hard rock, AC/DC-like riffs with Al Goldstein-like lyrics. , and you'll be blown away.

Unless you've got no sack and hang out in bars that play '80s pop and other crap that panders to women, while making guys' ears bleed. Here's a sampling of Tequila Dave's lyrical wizardry. Now I'm pushin 38, the shit still sounds great But your fat, white ass took all my drugs and cash, oh yeah Is anyone else smelling Grammy?

I think we know exactly who's playing at my next birthday party. And next time I'm at American Trash, I'm breaking jukebox protocol and playing both albums straight. And hopefully this time, some whacked-out crackhead chick won't be sitting next to me.

Hey, Dave, send me the guitar chords to this stuff so I can start practicing Do-Able Mommies and jam with you guys. In Five Words or Less: Long live rock! For too long, the defining moment of the Syracuse University basketball program was its historic upset loss to Richmond in 1991, the first time a No.

2 seed was upset by a No. 15 seed in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The Orangemen were rightly labeled as postseason underachievers but, for more than a decade since, Syracuse has been one of the most consistent overachievers in March.

Though they've only once been seeded higher than fourth winning the national title last year as a 3 seed the Orangemen have posted a 22-8 record in the NCAA tournament, including this year's run to the Sweet 16. Coach Jim Boeheim's .733 winning percentage in the Big Dance since 1992 trails the career tournament winning percentages of only four active coaches Duke's Mike Krzyzewski, Michigan State's Tom Izzo, Louisville's Rick Pitino and San Diego State's Steve Fisher.

Of those eight losses, four have come against No. 1 seeds (Missouri 1994, Kentucky 1996, Duke 1998, Michigan State 2000), one came against a No. 2 seed (Arkansas 1995) and one against a No.

3 seed (Massachusetts 1992). Only once in 10 tournament appearances since the Richmond loss, including 2004, has Syracuse fallen to a lower-seeded team, losing as a No. 8 seed to No.

9 seed Oklahoma State in 1999. Three of those losses came in overtime. Boeheim is clearly getting better with age.

He's Barry Bonds without the 'roids, and it must be said, with no qualifiers, that he's among the best coaches in college basketball. Today and any day. For eight straight tournament games, Syracuse's has dictated the pace and frustrated opponents with its zone defense.

They've won them all, beating the likes of Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas and Maryland on their own terms. Boeheim has had as much of an effect on those games as a coach could possibly have. Of course, most of the credit belongs to the players.

For a dozen years, they've received an average tournament seeding of 5.1 (6, 4, 7, 4, 5, 8, 4, 5, 3, 5), advancing to the Sweet 16 in six of their last nine tournament appearances and winning the 2003 national championship. Now that's a pretty clutch program.

Richmond is now just a distant memory. As for the present, ESPN's Andy Katz sums it up thusly: . Rudy Martzke of USA Today reports that CBS is sending Billy Packer and Jim Nantz to East Rutherford, N.

J., to call Thursday's regional semifinal game between St. Joe's and Wake Forest, Packer's alma mater and powerhouse conference rep.

Martzke also has plenty of other media tid-bits from the tournament. If only they'd do this to Fenway, with Manny Ramirez and Pedro Martinez still in it. Friggin' hilarious personal site supposedly created by the former Duke All-American.

(Found on ) An old, but still engaging interview with the ESPN draft guru. Kiper says he overachieved in marriage and, even though I have never seen his wife, I must say I agree with him. Joe Concha recounts the five best, all of which came during a period when the best players actually hung around a couple of years.

Of course, my top two are Syracuse over Kansas in 2003 and Syracuse over Kansas in 1996. Can't wait till we play those guys again. It's time for another exciting edition of the series you love to hate, Beat My Score, in which you try to prove your superiority in time-wasting online games.

Today, we present , submitted by Dave. The object of the game is to hold your mouse on the red square and direction it away from the moving, blue pieces. Just like the Red Sox have avoided a World Series trophy for more than eight decades.

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has never been a hard guy to read, and now it's even easier, thanks to . Cuban, who's been , is always good for a quote, and his blog did not disappoint in its opening week.