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Monday meanderings: A call late in the game went against Illinois in its NCAA tournament game against Miami (Fla.) on Sunday night (March 24) in Austin, Texas. The Illini trailed by a basket when the call — which replay showed should have given Illinois possession — was made. The Illini lost 63-59. There is no guarantee Illinois would have won if the play had been reviewed and overturned. Here’s hoping the NCAA can guarantee a rules change so that officials will be able to review such calls in a game’s final two minutes. Technology is available, so use it.
Playboy Playmate Nikki Leigh makes a fashion statement.
* Speaking of the tourney, if college coaches are going to receive bonuses for reaching the
tournament and more money for each victory in the postseason, shouldn’t they at least have to split it with the players? Oh, that’s right, you’d hate to ruin the amateurism of college athletics.
* Still sppeaking of the NCAA tournament, Florida Gulf Coast University is the first No. 15 seed to reach the tourney’s Sweet 16. Which is either a credit to the team or a discredit to the folks who did the seeding.
* Marco Belinelli sat out the Chicago Bulls’ victory against the host Minnesota Timberwolves because of an abdominal injury. Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said the shooting guard is day-to-day. A reminder to Thibodeau (and everyone else out there reading this): We all are day-to-day — with or without an abdominal strain.
Christina Adona and Meredith Mulford of the Chicago Bliss.
* Speaking of injuries (which the Bulls have in ample supply with starters Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah and “Rip” Hamilton sidelined), the Chicago Cubs said right-hander Scott Baker will be out for at least a month. He sat out last season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. At this rate, the Cubs would have been better off signing Tommy John for their rotation.
* Speaking of pitchers, former Brooklyn Dodgers right-hander Ralph Branca was in Chicago for the Chicago Sun-Times Sports Collectibles Convention. Look for him to show up as a guest on “Sports & Torts” on talzone.com sometime next month.
* Speaking of baseball, there’s nothing quite like listening to a radio or television broadcast of a spring-training game to get a person warmed up for the regular season. Except perhaps when you have to walk outide before, during or after the aforementioned contests to discover the temperature is in the 30s.
* With opening day a week away (and spring not coming close to having sprun in the greater Chicagoland area), it’s time for the annual question: Why doesn’t baseball wait until at least the second week in April to begin. Oh, that’s right. Need to have all those games because of the money involved. In which case, it’s time to ask another annual question: Why doesn’t baseball have more day/night doubleheaders so that it can start its season later?
* Speaking of the Sun-Times Sports Collectibles Convention (well, we were a few paragraphs ago), thank you to Chicago Bliss players Christina Adona and Meredith Mulford for taking the time to chat. The Bliss is the Legends Football League team. The Legends Football League used to be called the Lingerie Football League. It’s unclear what the LFL name change means — other than perhaps a little less lace on the uniforms.
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