I will first off apologize for my unforeseen absence last week, school sometimes gets in the way of the super-bloggage and all. Anyways, there are a few different things to talk about in the world of sports, and as always I will try and keep things are SIUexciting as possible with limited outside commercial interruption.
In retribution for my horrid acts (and since I am in class right now...We are posting a little early!)
NCAA follow-up
I will start with some college basketball, previously on the Alestle Live Sportsblog, I pimped a number of mid-majors poised to make some noise in the NCAA tournament.
I did not fill out a bracket (which confused a number of people I talked to about the tournament) and it made the whole damn thing that much more exciting! (kudos to the midmajority.)
My big surprise, Siena was a dud, but other mids thrived. Butler is still playing basketball in the Final Four (with Murray State, my other potential sleeper NEARLY knocking them off in the second round, after a big last-second win over Vanderbilt(all praise Danero Thomas))
Cornell, Northern Iowa and Saint Mary's made the Sweet 16, Old Dominion knocked off Notre Dame and I came away from the first few rounds of the tournament with my head held high.
Everyone at SIUe needs to get behind Butler, and support a fellow mid-major in the Final Four.
This sadly concludes my season talking about college basketball on this blog until we get some off-season SIUE news. I cannot wait until November. Hopefully we can crack the top-300 in the RPI.
NEXT!
The BOOT GOT BACK!
The regular season does not kick-off until September for SIUE soccer, but Kevin Kalish and company are not taking the off-season lightly. Last week, SIUE battled one of the newest professional soccer teams around, AC St. Louis to a 0-0 draw at Korte Stadium, and the fun will continue Saturday, as the Cougars take on Saint Louis University at Soccer Park in Fenton, prior to ACSTL's game against the MLS Kansas City Wizards to revive one of the greatest rivalries in college soccer history.
And no, that is not a joke.
SIUE against SLU is one of the biggest rivalries in the history of college soccer, and since 1995, it has been collecting cobwebs.
As a matter of fact, the 1980 game featuring the defending national champion Cougars brought 20,000 plus to old Busch Stadium and to this day remains the highest attended collegiate soccer game in US history.
SIUE against SLU is a BIG DEAL, even at this juncture in the season. The pre-season.
Coach Kalish was recently interviewed for the previously vacant SLU coaching job, and he is an alumnus of SLU and member of SLU's all-mid-century team.
You have a coaching sub-plot, regional ties, an already existing recruiting rivalry and long-term history to back it up. Right now, the SLU people have the "what's in it for me" attitude, since SIUE has yet to re-establish itself to its previous heights. That will come.
Personally, I think it is going to be hard to get the student body behind the soccer team to its fullest extent, because well, it doesn't get the media attention and it just isn't basketball. This isn't the 70's, but things are looking up for the team, so if you have a chance to get out to Soccer Park Saturday you should. The game starts at 5:30, and afterwards an MLS team plays! We don't have one of those yet, so it should be loads of fun. Heck with beer it's the most fun you will ever have! Tickets are $10.
Balls, Bats and Cougars
SIUE's other fast-tracked team, softball is struggling. This year's team has played enough this year to earn the tag of being an inconsistent bunch, as the record shows at 16-16. No 40 win season this year. I find it hard to get my head around this team. One night, they beat a Big Ten team, the next they get shut out by Northern Illinois. It seems like the runs come in bunches, and the droughts do as well. Never a good combination. Lots of time to figure it out still, in another "independent" season.
The baseball team is finally starting to come around a little bit from the mound, the offense is always there. You can count on SIUE to score 10 runs a night but unfortunately, half the time it's safe to bet they allow 20. SIUE earned two consecutive wins over the weekend against Tennessee Tech, 11-8 in extra innings and 12-4. SIUE is finally back home April 10 against UT Martin, a place where they have a combined staff ERA of 0.50...in two games. Life on the road is tough.
Today's Holy $#!* realization
On a non-sports note, this is a special, exciting, unforeseen and miraculous thing happening on campus April 1, and it should bring a tear of joy to all of our collective eyes.
