Every year in my NCAA brackets, I start off like gang busters. Even predicting a couple of the upsets. But every year, by the time the Sweet 16 is set, I've hitched my wagon to the wrong team and am looking at brackets that won't keep me in the money. I just put my two brackets through the shredder as they both had Georgetown in the Final Four, and one had G-Town losing the national championship to UCLA. Thanks for playing and thanks for donating.

So, why do I do it every year? I watch a limited amount of college basketball. I don't read up on all the teams. I put a relatively educated guess into my brackets. But every year, I stink at this, and sit and watch while some guys' 7-year-old daughter guessed her way to MY MONEY. So, is it all dumb luck? Who the hell would've thought that Davidson would beat a very well-coached and very experienced Georgetown team who was in the Final Four last year. No reason to think they wouldn't go back. Sigh. Time to start getting ready for baseball now, I suppose. 

The Colts did not match the the three-year, $9 million-offer to restricted free agent tight end Ben Utecht, meaning the 26-year old former Colt is officially a member of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Utecht, who was playing second fiddle to Dallas Clark in during his three seasons in Indianapolis, now gets his chance in the Queen City and easily becomes the best passing orienented tight end of the Marvin Lewis/Carson Palmer era. It is a breath of fresh air and a great opportunity for Utecht to showcase his talents.

The great tight end debate has existed with the Bengals for years, do they need a tight end? Marvin Lewis insists the team's system does not demand the need for a receiving tight end. Instead, the team's offense excels on solid blocking from the position. Reggie Kelly has provided great value to the team. His role often goes unnoticed and unappreciated by the casual fan.

I am on the side of the argument that believes that while Kelly (and a player of his type) is critical for the system's execution, the time to evolve the offense a bit has come. Some of the league's top offenses rely greatly on the play of a tight end as a receiver. It keeps the defense from doubling wide every time. Look at what the likes of Jason Witten, Kellen Winslow, Dallas Clark, and Antonio Gates have had on their teams' success.

The Bengals haven't had a receiving tight end that drew the opposing secondary's attention since Tony McGee and haven't had a player excel in that role significantly since Rodney Holman in the late 1980's. The team could look to address the need in the draft, but this year's crop of tight ends appears thin and there are greater needs to address in the portion of the draft where you could find a legitimate threat.

Utecht has only scored three TD's in three years with the Colts, but with size, speed, and hands he clealry will become a weapon in the red zone for offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski.

The Bengals haven't had a season where every tight end on the team combinehad for five scores since '97. In fact, hasn't had their tight ends combine 8+ TD's in any of the past 18 seasons, a span in which they've produced one winning season and one playoff appearance.

Xavier fans have notoriously hated Bob Huggins. One could say that the very existence of Huggins at UC helped to fuel the X-UC rivalry. Now, X fans get to see Huggins again, only this time in the Sweet 16 and on the sideline of the West Virginia Mountaineers. Huggins has had mixed success in the NCAA tourney while at UC. He went to a Final Four, an Elite 8 and a couple Sweet 16s, but he also had early exits. In his first year coaching WVU, Huggins took the #7 seed Mountaineers to the Sweet 16 after beating Duke. Maybe the change of address has helped Huggins rediscover that tourney success formula. Either way, WVU faces a big challenge in Xavier. Make no mistake, and put the cordial attitude that will be spouted to the media by Huggins, Bob wants to win this game - badly. And, as a UC fan, longing to find something to grab hold of in this tourney (other than winning my brackets), I've now found it. Just as I wanted (very badly) UC to beat Huggins in Morgantown (which they did), I now (even more badly) want WVU to knock off X and send them home. This will eat the obnoxious X fans up, thinking that they lost to "Thuggins". Let's not forget the classlessness the X fans gave Huggins when he brought Kansas State to town as they had people dressed as jailbirds, signs up about Huggins' DUI, etc. No, Xavier, has NEVER had any player in trouble. They are above it all. They also were NEVER jealous of what Huggins was able to do while at UC (which was steal the limelight away from Xavier). Their fans have never gotten over it and will always hate Huggins. So, it would seem only fitting that Huggins beat what could be X's best team ever and deny them a shot at the Elite 8.

This match up will either be sweet vindication for X fans or their worst nightmare. I'm hoping for the latter. Go Mountaineers. 

Edit: And just found this fantastic article on Bob. It's a must read. As someone who covered and talked with and (sort of ) knew Bob while I was at UC working for and running the News Record on campus, I can say this article truly sums up the enigma that is Bob Huggins. Perfectly.

With less than a week until the end of Spring Training, Reds' manager Dusty Baker still has a few key decisions to make to determine the team's Opening Day roster. 

The area that the team really focused on during the off-season was the bullpen, a weak spot last year.  Newcomer Francisco Cordero gives the team and capable and proven commodity (152 saves over his last 4 seasons with Milwaukee and Texas) at the end of the game and just as importantly it allows Dave Weathers, who led the team with 33 saves last year, to return to his more natural of being a set-up man.

Right-hander Jarod Burton had a 2.51 ERA in 47 games while emerging as a late-inning pitcher in the second half of his rookie season.

Left-hander Jeremy Affeldt came over to the Reds after being vital part of the Rockies' run to the NL title in 2007. The veteran came into camp hoping to grab one of the Reds' open spots in the rotation, but the outbreak performances from the team's young guns Johnny Cueto and Edinson Volquez have derailed those efforts. Affeldt is a nice option to in the pen and also has had some experience as a closer.

The Reds overpaid to get Cordero here, but it was just one of many desperate moves that Reds' GM Wayne Krivsky has attempted to put a cork in the team's probelm. There was the unpopular trade of Austin Kearns and Felipe Lopez to Washington and the ridiculous long-term deal ($2 million last year and $3 million in 2008. There's an option for 2009 at $2.5 million, with a buyout of $500,000) they gave the aging left-hander Mike Stanton to come here, but the team is not prepared to eat it now.

It appears that Stanton, who will turn 41 in June, is going to make the club as the team breaks camp.

The Reds made two more roster cuts on Saturday when they optioned relievers Gary Majewski and Jon Coutlangus to Triple-A Louisville, leaving basically four guys to battle out for the teams final spot in the pen. Todd Coffey and Mike Lincoln are seeking the right-handed spots while Bill Bray and Kent Mercker are vying for the last remaining left-handed spot.

It is amazing to see how far this bullpen has come in such a short period of time. Its improvement is a big reason that the Reds enter the year as legitimate contenders in the NL Central.