Tebow Ups His Stock At Pro Day

It sounds extremely odd to be even having this discussion about one of the most accomplished players in college football history in the first place.

Tim Tebow has been under the spotlight lately about the need to improve his draft stock.

Some of the critics may have been silenced, at least for now, after Tebow's pro day that was held at the Swamp to some 3,000 fans.

Tebow has received a ton of criticism on his lack of being a traditional quarterback. He hardly ever lined up under center in college, which is a necessity in the NFL.

And then there's that pesky throwing motion of his. Well Tebow has ditched that throwing motion and unveiled a new one at his pro day. The scouts were reportedly impressed. So impressed that he received an invitation to the NFL draft which he obviously accepted.

These invitations aren't just handed out to anyone. They're usually handed out to projected first-round picks, but that's not always a for sure thing.

No matter where Tebow goes in the draft he'll get his opportunity to show what he can do in the NFL. He obviously has a strong passion for the game to be willing to change his entire throwing motion to prepare to start a new chapter in his football career.

Agassi's Jokes Shouldn't Be Taken Seriously

Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras, two of tennis's all-time greats, recently participated in a charity tennis match to support victims of the Haiti earthquakes.

Now these two tennis icons have had their historic battles over the years so it should have been to no one's surprise that some friendly jokes were exchanged between the two.

In the midst of the friendly fire Agassi got a little personal with some of the bantering and Sampras didn't find it funny.

His jokes included making fun of the way Sampras walks around on the court like a pigeon and then commenting on his reputation of being stingy.

In return Sampras let Agassi know he didn't find it at all appealing by directing one of his infamous serves right at him. It drew plenty of laughs and rightfully so.

Here's a link to the entire 4-minute episode.

It's somewhat understandable that Sampras got a little offended by what Agassi said, but you have to let that roll off your shoulder and realize it's for charity.

This particular charity was a huge success as it brought in over $1 million to aid earthquake victims. With that said let's focus on the important things this charity did instead of a few jokes that went too far.

Agassi was quick to apologize much like most athletes do when they get into the media for something negative. Here's a piece of Agassi's apology that was released on Monday:

"It was out of line. It was innappropriate. The night was on fire. We were all all having fun. I was trying to be comedic. I only had a split second to make a decision. I went for it and it fell flat."

Agassi went on to say that he has since texted Sampras asking to apologize in person to him.

Let's be sure not to demonize Agassi for this mistake. We've all told a joke that went too far that we fell bad about at a later time. We're only human.

It's also important not to forget that comedians tell personal jokes that are ten times worse everyday and we praise them for it. Agassi attempted to be humorous like many of us do and it didn't work out. Simple as that.

The least we can do is praise Agassi for participating in a charity event that ended up raising so much money for so many devasted lives.

I want to know how you feel about this situation so feel free to e-mail me at cmm5g@mtsu.edu

Examining Vandy's Road to the Final Four

Despite limping into Selection Sunday, Vanderbilt drew one of the 4-seeds for the NCAA Tournament. They will play Thursday against Murray State (30-4) of the OVC.

Some experts are calling an upset alert on this game a lot of that can be thanks to two very disappointing losses to South Carolina and Mississippi State to end the season. I don't see that happening here.

Murray State may stick with Vandy up until halftime, but eventually Vandy's talent will be way too much for Murray State.

The second round game would come against either Butler or UTEP. These two games will be much tougher than Murray State, but they're still very winnable games for Vandy.

If Vandy does manage to make it to their third Sweet Sixteen in the past decade then they will most likely have to play No.1 seeded Syracuse. This is where I got to draw the line and say Vandy would have little to no chance.

There are also a few other teams that are way better than Vandy that are in the West region. In my opinion those teams are Gonzaga, Pittsburgh, and Kansas State.

Just for the sake of dreaming, if Vandy did pull of an upset for the ages against Syracuse then Kansas State would be waiting for them in the Elite Eight.

If the Commodores make it this far then anything will be possible against Kansas State.

After reading all of this you should realize why the NCAA Tournament is the best playoff system in all of sports. No other sport requires a team to do so much work before they can be crowned champions.

Even the top-seeded teams have no cake walk to the Final Four, not even Kansas.

My Final Four selections: Kansas, Syracuse, Duke, and West Virginia
Championship Game: Duke over Kansas

The Committee Has Spoken!

Another pool of 65 teams have been entered to compete for the college basketball national championship.

The four #1 seeds are: Kentucky, Duke, Syracuse, and Kansas.

This might be another year where all four #1 seeds make the Final Four. However, Kentucky continues to barely squeak out wins against sub-par SEC teams and won't work against some of the better teams in their bracket like West Virginia or even Wisconsin. They do have an easier road to the Final Four then any of the other #1 seeds.

Not to keep coming down on Kentucky because they are a very talented team, but their youth will come back to haunt them in the Elite Eight against West Virginia.

As boring as this sounds, I like the other #1 seeds to hold serve and make the Final Four.

In the end I think we're set up for a great NCAA Tournament because there is so much parody in this year's field.

You've got plenty of possible Cinderella teams, with 13-seeded Cornell being the most likely to make a big run.

When it's all said and done I like Duke to shock Kansas for the national title. This team's basketball IQ is through the roof and they play so well together.

On paper Kansas looks like the best team in the country but their loss to Tennessee makes me think that they're going to slip up against the Blue Devils.

Shield Your Eyes, Some Bubbles Are About to Burst

It's that time of year where things get a little emotional in college basketball. Some teams' hard work is going to pay off and send them to the field of 65 while others are going to settle for something less.

There's no way to avoid it. Every year there are at least a few really good teams who don't make the tournament. It's still the best playoff system in all of sports. Virtually every deserving team gets a fair shot at the national championship. Even your George Mason's of the world.

One bubble is going to burst in a big way tonight between Connecticut and Notre Dame. Both teams have impressive wins coupled with disappointing losses.

Another bubble team to keep your eye on at this point is Florida. This team has been up and down all season long but has mainly been going down since entering the conference schedule.

Their conference record doesn't look that bad at first glance, but then you have to remember how mediocre the SEC is this year.

The Gators have some work to do but if they have an impressive showing in the SEC tournament then you have to put them somewhere around a 10-seed.

Another game with implications on the bubble watch is Oklahoma St. and Texas A&M. They're both in at the moment but they can easily play their way out. They've got a little bit more slack thanks to the Big 12 being a pretty solid conference overall.

Finally you got your mid-majors who are fighting for either an automatic bid through their conference championship or an at-large bid.

As of right now here's your at-large bids to keep an eye on: St. Mary's, San Diego State, and Richmond. All of these mid-majors are capable of making some noise in the tournament if they get in.

This is the best time of the year if you're a die-hard college basketball fan like myself. There's so much to keep up with that it's almost like studying for a class to get all of the information.

Selection Sunday is just ten days away so get your goggles ready because there's still plenty of bubbles to be burst.

Teams Currently on the Bubble

• Notre Dame (19-10)
• Connecticut (17-12)
• Ole Miss (19-9)
• Oklahoma St. (20-8)
• Illinois (18-12)
• St. Mary's (24-5)
• Louisville (19-11)
• San Diego St. (20-8)
• Florida (20-10)
• Florida St. (20-8)
• Georgia Tech (19-10)
  

( I'm sure I left out a few, but this should give you an idea of how many bubbles are about to burst!!!!!)

After Sweeping the Gators, Vandy Eyes a No.3 Seed

It was a week of ending winless droughts as Vanderbilt defeated Arkansas on the road for the first time in the Kevin Stallings era and also defeated the Gators for the first time in Gainesville since 2001.

Many had doubts that Vandy would be able to keep up its winning ways on Tuesday night.

Those thoughts quickly changed just shortly after the ball was tipped off tonight.

The Commodores jumped out to a 9-0 lead within the opening minutes to get the crowd out of it early. Even at that point I expected the Gators to make a run, and that they did.

The Gators actually had a three-point lead midway through the second half with all the momentum on their side, but apparently the Commodores took some that Memorial magic on the road with them tonight.

Vandy is just a couple wins away from possibly securing a No.3 seed in the NCAA Tournament, something that probably hasn't been done in a long time, if ever.

Once again Vanderbilt proved that they can beat you from so many different angles. Jeffrey Taylor was virtually a non-factor and Jermaine Beal was just average. But in came freshman John Jenkins who hit six three-pointers to propel Vandy to it's 23rd win of the season.

Jenkins may be the x-factor as to how far this squad can go in the tournament. If he shoots like that, then don't be surprised to see the Commodores in the Sweet Sixteen for the third time in the past decade. He averaged over 40 points a game in high school, so he's definitely capable of taking over basketball games.

Almost every player on this team is contributing to its success right now and that's the key factor to going deep into the NCAA tournament.

Another thing that tells me this team can go deep into the tournament is its impressive conference road record, which is 6-2. It's one thing to be a good team in the comfort of your own home, but when you're going on the road and winning tough conference games then that shows me that you're dangerous on a neutral court as well.

With the 64-60 win in Gainesville, Vanderbilt locked up a first-round bye in the SEC tournament and still has a shot at their first SEC regular season championship since 1992.

Kentucky would have to lose their final two games for that to happen, but anything is possible.

Even though an SEC regular season championship would be very nice, their shouldn't be too much stock put into it. Either way Vandy has already done the work to get themselves into a good spot in the field of 65.

Where's the T.O. Show Stopping Next?

The soap opera that is Terrell Owens's career is far from coming to an end. Multiple teams are speculated to be interested in T.O.

The rumors are now swirling as to where Terrell Owens will be playing next season. We do know for sure it won't be a second season with the Buffalo Bills.

The two primary teams that are in speculation for looking at T.O. are the Ravens and the Bengals. Ochocinco has already publicly expressed his desire and confidence that T.O. will be a Bengal next season.

That's an interesting thought. I actually think it would be a good fit for T.O. All of his critics want to continue to dwell on the past and think that he will go back to his old troubling days.

I think T.O. has changed his ways for good. He showed that last season. The media likes to back T.O. into a corner sometimes to get him to go into one of his infamous rants and last season he didn't take the bait.

The next destination for T.O. is most likely Baltimore, which is also a great fit. I don't think it's better than the Bengals situation because with the Ravens T.O. would have to be the primary target and I'm not so sure he's good enough to play that role anymore.

With the Bengals he could be the second option behind Ochocinco but would still get plenty of touches thanks to a pretty average group of receivers.

However, the quarterback situation is much better in Baltimore than in Cincinnati. Carson Palmer has lost a step or two in the past couple of seasons and Joe Flacco is clearly on the rise.

Both teams offer great opportunities for T.O. to end his career in a respectful fashion, so let's see if the T.O. show has a happy ending.