cabbageboy

Why would Billy Donovan leave FL for UK? He's already won a title at Florida now and has a stacked team coming back. I do agree that UK badly needs to be rid of Tubby at this point though, with Florida now the champs, Tenn. on the rise in the SEC east, and LSU also a FF team. If Bama or Arkansas improve any UK will be seriously fucked in the SEC for a long time, especially since UK doesn't look to be any better anytime soon. Hell, I think Donovan would leave FL for U of L before he'd go to UK. If I'm him I wouldn't forget all those trashings his teams got at Rupp. Besides, should Master Pitino leave U of L or retire I think Billy D. would do his mentor that favor. Here is why Duke fans never want to discuss 1986. Duke was a really awesome team that year, they were like 37-2 going into the title game. U of L was a reasonably solid 2 seed, but came into the tourney with a 26-7 record. We did get a HUGE break when LSU beat UK in the Elite 8, and got a crap 11 seed in the FF, while Duke had a mammoth 1 vs. 1 seed tilt with Kansas. This is why Bilas is so bitter: He says the Dukies were gassed after the Kansas game, whereas U of L got an 11 pt. win over a mediocre LSU team. Nevermind that Pervis Ellison violated him like a prison whore in the title game. Hell, just thinking back 20 years and it still gives me chills. I remember U of L was up 1, 70-69, and Duke had that last chance. They had seemingly 5 shots at the goal and yet NOTHING dropped. Finally Milt Wagner got the rebound and was fouled with about 3 seconds left. Since there was no 3 pt. line then (the rule was made literally days later), Milt drained 2 FTs and that was it. What's funny is that Duke team might well have been Duke's best team ever. They could have had the most wins for a single season with that title win. Yet U of L to this date gets no credit for that win and the Duke loving assholes at CBS and ESPN have essentially erased the game from history. Ironically enough I actually taped that ONE time it was shown on ESPN Classic. What's funny is that it was shown because it won a voting poll for what game should be shown that night, it wasn't a programming decision. So apparently a lot of people loved that game. I know I did, I still remember my mom and I jumping and dancing around the room. Speaking of CBS, not only did they not show anything from the 86 title game in those highlight reels (they skip from Nova's win to Keith Smart in 87), but they also have tried to erase UK's 1996 and 98 title wins from history. I can sorta see UK's 1996 run being ignored since it had no real markout moments (they were highly dominant and crushed everyone). But the 98 run? I mean hell the Comeback Cats had a great run, coming back from 17 down against Duke, rallying as well against Stanford in an OT classic, and then came from 10 down at the half to beat Utah for the title. But I guess since they beat Duke in one of K's biggest coaching debacles we have to ignore UK's title run. Right?

I agree with Chaosrage. Since Cena retained at WM and jobbed tonight they might as well just have him beat Edge in that 3 way I'm assuming they will do at Backlash. Then can you imagine the insane, nuclear heel heat Cena will have if he goes against RVD at that ECW PPV? I'm assuming HHH might take some time off in the summer around the time Steph pops. If so, it makes no sense to put the title on him. They can blow off this Cena/HHH crap at Vengeance in a HIAC match (non title of course, since they flat out 100% have to have RVD win the title at ONS).

SilverPhoenix, what the fuck dude? The 1986 title game is an unsung classic, and it's just this revisionist Duke bullshit has sought to erase that game from history. Hell, even Jay Bilas takes time out every year to bury U of L saying U of L was garbage and had no business beating his mighty Duke team. Is it because the game wasn't a big upset? The sad thing is that game is a very good game with a dramatic finish.

Man I was so pissed tonight. We had a huge storm here in Louisville and it knocked out the cable for pretty much the entire Rey/Angle/Orton match. I am now recording the replay so I can see that one. From what little I did see though I noticed Rey was getting booed all to shit. Not like Cena type booing, but I think the crowd was flat out fed up with his Eddie exploitation shit. History has shown when Rey gets pushed too hard, wins matches he shouldn't be winning, or generally acts like a douche the fans turn on him. Being Aztec Warrior Rey didn't exactly help his cause. Dude, you are not Tatanka. Anyway the power was back on for the main event. And my god, what does it take WWE? Were they somehow shocked Cena got totally killed by that crowd tonight? This was literally a no win situation on a lot of levels. If HHH wins it means the "heel" goes over in the WM main (though HHH mostly played face tonight). If Cena wins it means more tedious crap of keeping the belt on him, refusing to acknowledge the problem, refusing to turn him heel. And now at Backlash at Rupp Arena in Lexington they won't get the insane crowd heat to do a double turn, since I know KY crowds (might even go to this show). Trust me, here in KY we're the biggest traditionalist marks you can imagine. Cena will be mostly cheered here, because we can't fathom booing the alleged face here, no matter how shitty he is. It's called years of Memphis and USWA indoctrination. The Money in the Bank was fucking sweet tonight. I think the match may have been even better live, since the camerawork was really shoddy watching on TV. They missed the Shelton spot, they really didn't get the Van Terminator on Lashley all that well either. I think this one had more sheer bravado than last year's MITB, not to mention a much more crowd pleasing ending. The one drawback is not having Benoit's brilliant selling here...this was a total crazed spotfest. What the hell though, as a huge RVD fan I marked out like a bitch...I was flat out on my feet clapping. Edge/Foley however was Match of the Night. I liked it better than Foley/Orton, mainly because Edge took that shit like a man tonight, didn't run to the back and have the tacks brushed off, and also went HEAD FIRST into the freakin fire for the finish. Just a great match. But man, the so called faces did not have a good night, even in victory. The crowd shit all over the two guys who won the title matches. The crowd turned on Trish as well and cheered Mickie. Frankly I didn't think Shawn had all that much heat either, but maybe that was due to the Vince match simply going way too long (shave off 8 mins here and give it to the SD match!). Some of it also was that all the run ins came entirely too early, thus leaving Shane handcuffed for much too long to the point of it being anticlimactic. In fact, the only guy on this show that was really over was Rob Van Dam. As in not in an icon or legend way such as Flair, UT, Shawn, Foley, HHH. Gee, could it be because RVD hasn't exploited his friend's death, isn't a wigger poseur, and isn't booked to be a complete idiot (like Trish)? Almost by accident they have booked Van Dam very well as a face: He might lose, but he doesn't bitch about it (not on TV anyway), just keeps coming back for more. It also helps to have the vicious smarks in the crowd predominantly be fans of his from ECW. Anyway, I have to admit they have me interested in where this is all going. I'm feeling the HHH title win at Backlash in a no DQ type match, then RVD will cash in the MITB at ONS and hopefully win the title. Then they can do a non title rubber match HHH/Cena match in HIAC at Vengeance while RVD defends against Edge or Shelton. Or dare I say keep the title on Cena till ONS and just let that ECW crowd flat out annihilate Cena.

Just wondering but what was the added in subplot that you didn't care for? As far as the Valerie subplot, I think I might enjoy it more on a 2nd viewing. Now I at least know there is a point to it, whereas when originally seeing it I kept thinking "Why is this in the movie? Is there a point?" And then a few minutes later it was explained. And yes, one cannot give Hugo Weaving enough props. He was awesome here under a mask for the entire movie. In fact this week I rewatched the Matrix series and one of the biggest drawbacks of the sequels is the limited screentime of Agent Smith.

In Louisville this sort of thing is sort of hit or miss. I have seen the 1933 King Kong and The Big Sleep at Baxter Avenue theaters, but not much of late. Gone With the Wind also had a revival at the old Showcase Cinemas (it is closed now). The Palace is the theater that shows the Summer Series of "classics." I put that in quotes because I'm not sure Jurassic Park is really old enough at this point to be considered an all out classic. I remember when that theater reopened and the first thing they showed was Gold Diggers of 1935 (perhaps that was the first movie shown at The Palace when it originally opened?). I'd rather them show that type of obscure stuff than Jurassic Park, which I saw when it came out anyway.

No. In no way can this UCLA shit actually produce a national title. There is something so inherently wrong and sickening about THIS UCLA team getting #12 with these unwatchable Pitt style games that are 50-45 and 59-45. I hope Gonzaga realizes the pain and misery they caused millions of people by tanking the last 3 mins. against this bunch. That said, I think Florida hopefully will take them out, and hopefully the game will approach watchability. Somehow I just can't see UCLA holding Florida to 45 points.

I am flat out sick of psychological horror. Not any particular plot exactly, but if it is a remake of a Japanese horror movie, chances are it falls into this category.

Agreed. The FL/GMU game is the one with the heat. LSU/UCLA seems like a blatant undercard matchup, and frankly I doubt it'll be any good in terms of quality. I'm hoping it'll be a game that is about 75-73, but deep down I'm dreading another UCLA/Memphis 50-45 brickathon. I'm picking Florida, mainly because they have impressed me the most in the tourney. Aside from a mild scare from Georgetown the Gators have been stomping people.

As I said, if I really had to pick someone it'd be 76 Hoosiers. It's tough to argue against a team that went undefeated. The one loss they had in that 2 year period was to UK though, 1975 regional final. That was without Scott May however, who was out with a broken arm. Hell, Knight could have 5 titles right now had May not gotten hurt in 75 and Alan Henderson not gotten hurt in 1993. That said, in my lifetime UK in 1996 is the best team I've ever seen. Before 1986 it's hard to know how good a team REALLY was because of no shot clock, no 3 pt. line, etc. It's tough to say how good that UNC team from 1982 was, since they used that shitty 4 corners style. That's what is stunning about George Mason. They are flat out beating people. It's not that lame stuff like Valvano having his guys hack Houston and they missed FTs, making for an ugly and boring game (and let's face it, before the insane finish the NC St./Houston game was a piece of shit). NC St. and Nova only had a chance due to no shot clock or at least I don't think there was one in 85. Villanova was winning games in that 85 tourney like 50-45. GMU this year flat out beat UConn in a high quality game. On an unrelated note, why is it that CBS goes out of its way to not mention Kentucky teams in the highlight reels? I noticed that they went through various tourneys but mentioned nothing about the 1986 U of L win over Duke, skipped from Tyus Edney in 95 to Miles Simon in 97 (completely ignoring the best team I've ever seen, 1996 UK), and also mentioned nothing about the 1998 UK team that rallied from 17 down against Duke. The 1986 U of L/Duke game not being mentioned is a crime however. It's so historically important on a variety of levels: 1. It was Duke's first FF under Coach K. 2. It was U of L's last FF under Denny Crum. Kind of a passing of the torch really. 3. It was the last game before the 3 pt. line. 4. The game itself was quite good.

Okay, so I was just watching ESPN Classic and they had a fantasy tourney of the greatest college basketball teams ever. I didn't see it all but did get to see the Final 4: 1976 Indiana, 1982 North Carolina, 1996 Kentucky, and 1969 UCLA. It ended up being UNC and IU in the finals, with the 82 Tarheels winning. I thought this was such bullshit. Obviously the people voting on ESPN.com were a bunch of marks that just said "OMG, Jordan was on that team, they'd have to win every game!" Nevermind that the 82 Tarheels won the title on one of the biggest bonehead plays of all time, with Fred Brown passing the ball to James Worthy. The hilarious thing is that nearly all of the analysts had UK 96 killing that UNC team, and all but Bill Walton had IU from 76 taking them out. Personally I would have had it come down to IU and UK, with the 76 Hoosiers taking it. Hard to pick against them considering they went undefeated. I'd also like to hear the justification for the 82 Tarheels beating the 84 Georgetown team that was more experienced. Did Fred Brown fuck up again?

It's an intriguing idea but come on...do you see Vince letting a guy win his world title, then throw it down and proclaim a defunct promotion's belt better? Hell, all I had in mind was RVD winning the MITB, cashing it in at ONS, and then maybe defending it at Vengeance before jobbing at Summerslam. One thing about Flair and the MITB. Is this really a new storyline? I bet Flair has had that "one last run" about 10 times since he's been in WWE (2001-2006). Flair has a world of wrestling knowledge he can pass on to the younger guys, so I think he's better off in that sort of role at this late stage.

I recall a thread a while back quoting the Observer saying that the idea in mind was HHH/RVD at the ECW PPV. I'd assume that would involve RVD cashing in the MITB. This was more speculating than spoiler though. Also, the initial roster for this match had Carlito and Masters in the spots Shelton and Flair ended up in (I believe Shelton and Flair were going to have a singles IC match). The SD guys ended up being the same. Given RVD's 4th place finish at the Rumble and finishing in the finals of the Raw tourney, it should be a flat out no brainer that he wins this match. I mean we saw how slow Flair climbs a ladder against one opponent...how the hell would he believably climb a ladder against 5? Flair winning though? Meh. I'd assume he'd cash it in on a PPV, but I don't think there's a whole lot of interest in a 57 year old Ric Flair trying to get a 17th world title. Compared to someone like RVD going after that ONE world title that's eluded him his entire career?

Van Dam isn't much worse at all. The 3 way with Shelton and Flair was a really solid match, as was the Carlito match, and also the finals of the tourney with Big Show and HHH. If anything RVD is in the best matches on Raw, aside from when there's zero chance of a match being any good (i.e. Trevor Murdoch, Gene Snitsky, etc). Did any of you guys not think that maybe he's working everyone here? I mean this is the same stuff I read in the WWE Raw magazine. It's almost like this "glass ceiling" thing is his new gimmick, and will perhaps play a role in his character post WM. I wouldn't be shocked, especially when I recall those hilarious worked shoot chat sessions he used to have on his website. I've said it before and will say it again: RVD winning the MITB is the only thing that makes any sense and can lead to any sort of payoff. Flair is 57 years old. He's had 16 titles. Enough is enough. Besides, don't you think Flair could simply challenge HHH on Raw or whatever for a title shot given their history? Cause let's face it, if Flair wins the MITB it's putting an old man over 5 other guys in a LADDER match, and he'll just job to HHH anyway. Or maybe get some token 2 week title run before jobbing it right back. In other words, I don't give a shit. When considering the MITB ask yourself "Who needs this win the most?" Much like Edge last year, it is RVD.

I took a look at that UNC team's tourney run. Tell me if this sounds like a run from the greatest team ever: Beat James Madison 52-50. Beat Alabama 74-69 Beat Villanova 70-60 Beat Houston 68-63 Beat Georgetown obviously for the title by 1 (63-62 I think), Fred Brown, etc. I'm sorry, that just isn't a terribly impressive or dominant run. They did take out Olajuwon and Ewing I guess, but I don't think either of those teams were quite as good as they'd be in the next couple of years. The UCLA teams I think all cancelled each other out. As in we know about the run itself being the most dominant ever, but it's tough to single out that ONE team. The 69 team made that FF, but I might say the 73 team with Walton might be better. But who knows? I was surprised that the 92 Duke team didn't make it that far. But then they DID just barely beat a UK team with a bunch of white boy rejects and walkons from the Eddie Sutton era (and Jamal Mashburn).

I was just wondering...when exactly did Bischoff take over? I've always been hazy on when Watts was turfed and Uncle Eric took over. I always assumed it was somewhere in between Starrcade 92 and SuperBrawl in 1993.

No offense, but I'd give MNM even LESS of a shot at the MITB than I would either Finlay or Lashley. They are a tag team after all, neither guy is remotely going to win the MITB.

I've debated on whether to go see Backlash in Lexington...it'd be about a 70 mile drive. Not sure if I'm THAT excited to see Cena try and take back what is his. And let's be honest. If Cena jobs at WM, he's jobbing at Backlash too.

To clarify that a bit....it wasn't the entire torture of Evey that felt like the Rave or Counsellor Hamann. I think it was mainly the lesbians subplot that seemed extraneous and really slowed the film down (which is why it seemed like the Matrix Reloaded). Mind you, it did turn out to have a point in terms of V's motivation (Evey's too I suppose), but good grief didn't we already have enough motivation for V as far as what was done to him? The Rave and Counsellor Hamann scenes are like the epitome of "Should have been deleted scenes on DVD, but made it into the actual film." I would say the same about the tedious Merovingian scene at the restaurant but at least there was some sort of plot significance amidst the tedium involving the Keymaker. If anyone cares to know, I did think V For Vendetta was easily better than either of the Matrix sequels.

I think at WM they will end up putting it on Rey, just if nothing else as a token "face wins the title moment." I'm sure that they could have Rey defend against the guys who beat him in TV matches, then have Orton beat him at a PPV. They might as well get this Orton push out of their system. Put the title on him, watch him tank again, then job him to someone.

I'd imagine that was on Worldwide or something. The odd part is that I actually remember that TV taping here in Louisville, but didn't go to the actual show. The WWF had just come to the Louisville Gardens and that was my first live event. Then WCW came to the Commonwealth Convention Center, which is a huge joke for those of us here. It's not even really an arena or anything, just a place for conventions.

Orton may have taken a token ankle lock at the end, but Rey is the guy who actually tapped. I'm thinking Rey will actually win that match at WM, but man he will have literally zero credibility with a world title. Just wondering but are they even attempting to make any of the 3 SD guys look like a threat for the MITB? I mean on Raw we had a 3 way promo with Flair/Shelton/RVD expressing the desire to win it....on SD the 3 guys are in a pointless 6 man tag.

Justice, to respond to your comments. I thought the whole Evey interrogation stuff (particularly the lesbian stuff) seemed like a Wachowskis extraneous bit that reeked of Matrix Reloaded. As in stuff like the Rave or the Counsellor Hamann/Neo scene. Stuff that could be cut out and no one would notice. Mind you, the subplot in V For Vendetta is nowhere near as tedious as those scenes.

I agree, the unmasking is something I thought was a key payoff that never really happened. I might need to see this again, since I'm still not 100% what I thought of it. I thought most of the film was really solid, but there was one stretch minus V (well sorta) that I found tedious:

You know what's sad? If GW had gotten the draw that GMU ended up getting they might have gotten to the FF. Through the year I'd say most people figured GW was better. If George Mason had been the 9 seed in that Duke region instead of UNC Wilmington (also from the Colonial) I can't see them getting out of Greensboro.