High school hoops teams to keep an eye on

It's well known that the Coulee Region is in a sort of a heyday when it comes to high school basketball right now. With a number of different players already committed to playing for Division 1 programs next year, it's easy to see why their teams are getting much of the local attention. However, the talent pool does not stop there. I'm a big fan of local hoops, and here are some of those other teams I think you should be keeping an eye on as we get twoards the second half of the season.

1) Central boys - Love the way they play defense. Long, athletic and can shoot threes. Might not be the most talented team in the MVC, but could be the hardest working. Would not be surprised to see them knock off Onalaska or Aquinas this season.
2) West Salem girls - Westby has gotten the notoriety in the Coulee Conference the past few years, but the Panthers locked the clamps down on the Norsemen last night, beating Westby for the first time in nearly three years.
3) Luther boys - Maybe the fastest-paced offense in the area. Almost run a hockey line change, which should pose a matchup nightmare with anyone they face in the postseason.
4) Caledonia girls - The same crew that led them to the state tournament in volleyball is back on the basketball court too. Bigger and faster than nearly everyone they play, and can light up the scoreboard too.

MLB Hall of Fame Voting

I understand why there was no one voted into the Hall of Fame this year. I get it. That doesn't mean I agree with it. In my opinion, HOF voters should look at the ballot this way: This is the list of people that Major League Baseball has determined are eligible. They're all in current good standing with the league, and this can legally be voted into Cooperstown. I don't think it's right for writers to then impose their own moral slant on the issue, trying to decide who is or isn't connected to performance enhancing drugs. If they're on the ballot and you think their performance on the diamond is Hall of Fame worthy, vote them in. Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Roger Clemens and the like should all be in the Hall of Fame. Period. End of Story.

Losing the Big Game

As you might know, I'm a huge Notre Dame fan. I had a pit in my stomach heading into last night's game against Alabama, so you can only imagine what I felt like as the game progressed. The opening drive was bad. The Crimson Tide asserted their will from the first play of the game, and it was all down hill after that. Alabama is far and away the best team in the country, and I don't care what Oregon, LSU or Texas A&M fans say. They would have gotten slaughtered just like Notre Dame did.

It was awesome watching the Fighting Irish all season long. I'll remember the wins against Oklahoma, Stanford, Pitt and USC for quite some time. It was certainly a let down in the title game, but I do take some comfort knowing that they lost to a superior team. It wasn't dumb mistakes or just bad play. They could have played nearly flawless football and still lost. Alabama is just that good.

Final thoughts on ND-Bama

I'm nervous. This is different than the Super Bowl because for one, Notre Dame has hardly ever been good in my lifetime. The Packers were the favorites in Super Bowl XLV, whereas the Fighting Irish are a big underdog. I think the offensive and defensive lines are similar enough where they might cancel each other out and it could down to playmakers. Notre Dame QB Everett Golson certainly has those capabilities, and we'll see for sure tonight if he can make those plays.

Read more of my take at www.midwestsportsfans.com

Nervous

I'm nervous for the two big games I'll be following this weekend, for different reasons. It's win or go home for the Packers, against a division rival, at Lambeau Field. The Packers can lose to anyone else in these playoffs, just not Minnesota. And for Notre Dame, I'm nervous because of the magnitude of the situation. There's a national championship on the line for the Fighting Irish. I don't think many people expect them to win, and I kind of like the underdog status. Nobody remembers who finished 2nd, but win or lose, the 2012 season will have been a great accomplishment for Notre Dame.

Bowl Season

I'm generally not a big fan of bowl season. I think that it should be an 8-team playoff, with other bowls for teams over .500. I pick and choose the best matchups that I'm interested in, and the ones that I've watched over the weekend haven't disappointed, which is nice. More than anything, it gets me excited for the players I'm going to have fun following next year. So far I've been really impressed with South Carolina DE Jadaveon Clowney, South Carolina QB Connor Shaw, Louisville QB Teddy Bridgewater and Georgia QB Aaron Murray. All will be returning to their respective schools next years, and will likely be high picks in the 2014 NFL Draft. But, more than anything, I'm looking forward to watching my beloved Notre Dame in the National Championship next Monday.

Cheer up, Badger fans.

Well, Bucky Faithful, it's ok. It was a game the Badgers weren't supposed to be in anyways, but Wisconsin more than held their own. The offense was in a position to win, late in the game, but came up short. It was a very respectable by Barry Alvarez and Co. in Pasadena against a very good Stanford team, and even though it's the Badgers' third straight loss in the Rose Bowl, they can certainly leave California with their heads held high. And there's plenty of things to be excited about for the 2013 season. Montee Ball will graduate, but the backfield will certainly be potent with the returns of James White for his senior campaign and Melvin Gordon is back too, who I think has a chance to really be something special. Plus, in the very limited time that Joel Stave saw in the Rose Bowl, I'm convinced that with him (or Bart Houston, if he pans out) under center, the Badgers' QB situation is only going to improve from the Curt Phillips/Danny O'Brien experiment. I think there's enough players returning on the line and defense as well to make Wisconsin very competent in new coach Gary Andersen's first year in the Big Ten.