“What no CBS commentator has ever alluded to, even in passing, even during a rain delay, even when there was time to do so, is Augusta’s history of racism and sexism,” Costas said. “Even when people were protesting just outside the grounds — forget about taking a side — never acknowledging it. So not only will I never work the Masters because I’m not at CBS, but I’d have to say something and then I would be ejected.”

That this fairly objective observation has been considered news worthy and even provocative gives insight into the degree to which marketing, i.e. the buy-off of all forms of criticism and conflict, trumps basic journalism in major arenas of public “entertainment”. Costas, who freely took on a similar taboo by commenting on our national gun insanity during half time of a (gasp!) Sunday Night Football game last December, has precious little company when it comes to speaking his mind on matters of obvious relevance and/or performing the basic responsibilities of journalism. And in case his more PR-minded brethren have forgotten, “journalism” doesn’t have a lot to do with keeping “the client” happy and insulated from the realities of an interactive world.

To those who say, “Costas is an established superstar. He’s immune to executive blowback. He isn’t risking anything,” I say if that were all it is where are the likes of Al Michaels, Joe Buck, Jim Nantz and on and on in the context of dipping their toes in topics that pose problematic career scenarios? At an essential point, journalism requires courage. The profession is not about gilding the lilies of those paying bills, it’s about getting the whole story and telling that story come what may.

Friend of The Same Rowdy Crowd, John Reinan, (an ex-Stribber now making a living in the PR world), recently wrote about the startling imbalance between those marketing a story (i.e. “a message”) and those still in the game of straining slickly-produced bullshit for the truth of a personality, product or event.

Said Reinan,

“Consider:

• During the last decade, revenue of PR organizations nearly tripled while revenue of news organizations was cut in half.
• Over roughly the same period, employment in the PR business grew by 30 percent while the number of paid journalists dropped by more 25 percent.
• Thirty years ago, there was about one PR person for every journalist. Today, PR pros outnumber journalists by better than a 3-to-1 ratio.”

And those are the numbers for those clearly identified with each profession. The problem with CBS — and their fawning, hyper-reverential Masters coverage is just a prime example — is that we are also living in a period when self-professed journalists, mainly in TV newsrooms, are merrily committing a form of “service journalism” essentially no different from PR houses.  Unpleasant backstories are ignored and avoided. Stories with unavoidable partisan facets, especially where one “side” could only be painted as flagrantly wrong or reckless were the full context reported, are massaged into something with broader digestibility. All, you understand, in the interests of serving “the client”, which is to say the ad revenue of advertisers who don’t like being associated with controversy.

But to confess: I say this as a guy whose antennae are always up for the classicist stench emitted by pro golf, The Masters in particular. How an event encumbered by the kind of racial and sexual attitudes it has maintained continues to be embraced for its embodiment of “achievement” and “grandeur” is a vivid testament to salesmanship over journalism.

My opinion of The Masters was confirmed a few years while talking to a “business friend” of Denny Hecker’s. (Hecker was dropping a ton of advertising coin on the guy’s business, and in turn the guy happily played Denny’s best buddy.) The two had just returned from Augusta. First class the whole way, baby. Corporate jet. Cocktails with a few of the pros. VIP privileges. The guy was beyond thrilled. The American Dream.

What sort of jerk would throw a wrench into that kind of action?

Every year, I know it’s coming.  I anticipate it.  I fight it.  But in the end, that second Jim Nantz introduces the name of his broadcasting partner – Clark Kellogg – it’s all over for me.  Gimme my frosted flakes!

Clark Kellogg is the lead college basketball analyst for CBS Sports’ coverage of the NCAA basketball tournament, which concluded last night.  I admire his vocabulary.  Though I wish he would say “they’re great” more.

First, this morning, I got an alert that Margaret Thatcher died at the age of 82. She was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990. She was Britain’s first female PM.

Margaret Thatcher (October 13, 1925 – April 8, 2013)

Then I got another text alert that Annette Funicello had died at the age of 70. She was popular “Mouseketeers” on the original Mickey Mouse Club. The as a teenager, she had a successful career as a singer with the pop singles “O Dio Mio,” “Tall Paul” and “Pineapple Princess“, then she became a film actress, staring in the “Beach Party” genre alongside co-star Frankie Avalon during the mid-1960s.

Annette Funicello (October 22, 1942 – April 8, 2013)

I remember her more from her movies. As a kid, I dreamed about being her and standing/singing next to Frankie Avalon. God, help me, but one of  my guilty pleasure movies is Back to the Beach (1987). How can you not get up and dance when you hear Annette Funicello & Fishbone sing “Jamaica Ska”.

Two women who had a major influence in history, in their own rights, passed away on the same day.

Tonight was also the championship NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Championship played in Atlanta, Georgia.

The teams plating were University of Louisville vs. University of Michigan. Since I was was born and raised in Michigan, I was rooting for Michigan. But since I lived in Louisville for three years, I wouldn’t have mind to see them win either. Louisville won the championship. So it was a draw on my part.

One of my favorite parts of NCAA March Madness is the ending of the tournament. it’s when CBS Sports plays “One Shining Moment” by Luther Vandross.

“One Shining Moment” is a song written by David Barrett about the NCAA Men’s College Basketball Championship. One Shining Moment is traditionally played at the end of CBS Sports‘ coverage of the championship game of the tournament. The song is played as the winning team’s players cut down the nets, to a montage of highlights from the tournament. — From Wikipedia.com

Every time I have seen it, I tear up. I just love that song and  CBS Sports does a really great job with the video.

Thanks to ncaavideos2 for posting the video on YouTube.com.

So between these two show, I was also trying to watch Dancing with the Stars. Here are my picks for the night.

The team I liked and needs to win — Zendaya Coleman and  Valentin Chmerkovskiy

The team that really needs to go home — Lisa Vanderpump and Gleb Savchenko

Best songs of the night:

• “Hallelujah“—Leonard Cohen
• “Celebration“—Kool & the Gang

Oh, I forgot, I was also trying to watch Dallas and The Voice during this time. My poor remote. Hopefully next Monday will be a little less crazy with no more basketball.

How was your Monday?

Super Bowl 21

Super Bowl XXI Denver Broncos vs New York Giants complete game – YouTube.

The 1986 Giants were simply too big and strong for the Broncos and wore them down to the point. That by the second half of Super Bowl 21, this game became a mismatch. And the Giants had their way with the Broncos and I hate to say this as a Redskins fan. But the 1986 Giants are one of the top 5-10 teams of all time because of how dominant they were on defense. And because they had a power ball control efficient offense that perfectly complemented their defense.

Joe Kapp

NFL Today 76 NFC Divisional Playoff December 18, 1976 – YouTube.

The last playoff game for George Allen with the Redskins

On Saturday’s edition of Hockey Unfiltered, Eric Gage once again filled in for Todd Lewis, talking about the trade deadline, as well as the optics of players who are a healthy scratch texting during the games. He spoke with Adam Gretz from CBS Sports about his trade deadline winners and losers, as well as Gretz’s article regarding Randy Carlyle’s comments on concussions. He also spoke with Justin Goldman from The Goalie Guild about Ben Bishop in Tampa and what an acceptable save percentage is these days in the NHL. Eric also shared what his “perfect” NHL playoff commercial would be, along with fielding tweets from listeners on the show.

Hockey Unfiltered with Todd Lewis Podcast:

Click here to download Hockey Unfiltered with Todd Lewis

Captain Sky Hook

Kareem – 38/15/7 vs. Dr. J's Sixers (1979) – YouTube.

A great shootout between Kareem and Dr. J

Dallas Star

SUPER BOWL 12 – YouTube.

I hate to admit this as a Redskins fan and I doubt Eagles and Giants fans like to admit this as well. But the 1977 Cowboys are one of the top 5-10 teams of all time because of how dominant they were on both sides of the ball. Which is what they showed in this game against the Broncos where the Broncos had shots at a bunch of takeaways early in the game but failed to take advantage of any of them. And weren’t able to do much offensively for the whole game even pulling their starting QB Craig Morton.

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####

The Grant Napear show started off talking about the Kings deal and the vote taking place tomorrow. Grant said that mayor Kevin Johnson was extremely confident that he could put forth a very convincing deal to keep the Kings in Sacramento.

Grant was joined by Ken Berger from CBS Sports. Grant asked Ken how he felt the about the Kings deal and whether the Kings would stay in Sacramento. Ken said that the community of Sacramento has put forth so much effort and done everything it has been asked. He also commented that he felt that the Kings belong in Sacramento but was not completely sure how the vote would go.

During Grant’s Rant, he fumed about the referee Ed Rush who offered officials 5,000 dollars or a trip to Cancun if they hit Miller with a technical foul or ejected him. Grant said that even if he was joking he should know that, as an official, there are things you should not joke about.

Grant was then joined by Kacey Pratt from CSN Bay Area. Kacey talked about the A’s chances and how they will bounce back from losing their opening game. Kacey also commented on the amount of talent the A’s have in the bullpen and that he expects the A’s to be a very good team this year.

Former Sacramento King Francisco Garcia joined the Grant Napear show. Fransisco talked about how excited he was to come back to Sacramento and talk with his former teammates. Grant asked Garcia if he would arrive early just so he could talk with some of his friends from the Sacramento Kings. Francisco said that he’s excited, but it is business first, it is important for his team to win so he will arrive at his normal time.

The last guest on the show was Tim Brando from CBS Sports. Grant asked Tim what he thought about Florida Gulf Coast making it so far in the NCAA Tournament. Tim commented on how amazing it was that a team no one had hardly ever heard of made it so far and shocked so many people. Tim also commented on how bad people’s brackets were due to Florida Gulf Coasts success.

Running With The Night

SUPER BOWL 18 – YouTube.

A game I remember too well as a Redskins fan because not only did the Raiders beat the Redskins 38-9. But what made this game worse was that the Redskins didn’t play as well as they could have and didn’t give the Raiders the respect that they deserved. Especially the Raiders defense and didn’t make the adjustments that they should have. It’s really hard to win a Super Bowl especially beat a great team like the 1983 Raiders when you give up a punt block and an INT both for touchdowns. Not just in the same game but in the same half as well. Cost the Redskins fourteen big points in this. Game and completely changed the complexion of the game that was a very even matchup going in.

By Pete Prisco, CBS Sports Senior NFL Columnist

These are the 2012 regular-season numbers for two quarterbacks.

Quarterback A: 3,817 passing yards, 7.2 per attempt, 22 touchdown passes, 10 interceptions, 59.7 completion percentage and a passer rating of 87.7.

Quarterback B: 4,018 yards 7.1 per attempt, 22 touchdown passes, 14 interceptions, a 61.1 completion percentage and a passer rating of 85.3.

Those numbers are similar, right? Well, quarterback A is Baltimore’s Joe Flacco. Quarterback B is Carson Palmer.

The Oakland Raiders trade Palmer and have agreed to a deal to acquire Matt Flynn from Seattle. Once again, what are the Raiders thinking? Just Stupidity, Baby. In no way, shape or form is Flynn in the same class as Palmer. READ MORE

Raiders show desperation with trade for QB Matt Flynn

By Josh Katzowitz, CBS Sports NFL Writer

The Oakland Raiders are screwed at their quarterback position, and the fact that Oakland has traded two future late-round draft picks for Seattle Seahawks backup Matt Flynn simply proves it.

Trading for Flynn is desperate. In fact, it almost comes off as the type of move that a coach and general manager would make if they thought their jobs were in danger (and it wasn’t even a move that Miami Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland was willing to make a year ago).

Remember, Flynn has had exactly two standout games in his career. READ MORE

Quarterbacking the Raiders: A recent history

By Evan Hilbert, CBS Sports

In 2002, Rich Gannon led the Oakland Raiders to an 11-5 record and an appearance in Super Bowl XXXVII. He was named league MVP that year after throwing for 4,689 yards and 26 touchdowns.

It has been all downhill for Oakland quarterbacks since then.

Matt Flynn is next in line to take over as the Raiders’ signal-caller, and if he wins the starting job as he is expected to, he will become the 16th different starting quarterback in Oakland since 2003.

So add another member to the Raiders quarterbacking fraternity. And, given Flynn’s pedigree, it’s hard to imagine he won’t suffer the same fate as his 15 predecessors. READ MORE

(Copyright 2013 CBS San Francisco & CBS Interactive. All rights reserved.)

I’m not sure why I’m so interested in the gruesome leg injury sophomore guard Kevin Ware suffered in the Louisville vs. Duke game this weekend.

Louisville guard Kevin Ware after suffering a broken tibia. Photo courtesy us magazine.com.

All I know is that I’m not the only one: Articles mentioning Ware among similarly gruesome injuries in sports history are popping up all over the internet. It was more popular on Twitter than people making fun of Lindsay Lohan demanding prescription pills in her latest rehab stint.

Some fans want to see Ware’s leg snap in half from every angle. Others were happy with the quick, long distance replays CBS chose to give its viewing public. Others turned away, not wanting that image stuck in their memory.

The Louisville bench reaction. Courtesy fansided.com

I’m not going to discuss what makes fans watch these gruesome injuries. Every fan has her own reasons. What I’m more concerned about is why we are supposed to feel bad for Ware, or other athletes who’ve gone through similar highlight reel injuries.

Why do we gossip in such high numbers for the gruesome, but ultimately less significant, injuries than the slowly accumulating ones that lead to brain damage and diseases like dementia, Alzheimers, etc? Injuries that not only affect the athletes living with the repercussions of their sport later in life, but also the other people it affects: the spouses they beat, the children they abuse, all swept under the rug by the media because who Tweets about retired athletes with diseases? Especially when you could post the top ten most gruesome sports injuries of all time. I bet I know which would get more hits.

It’s that same argument I’ve heard over and over again. Just with different sports. The argument that fans only watch NASCAR to see the crashes. Or hockey to witness the fights. Baseball for the brawls. Why do you think MMA is so popular? Are you not entertained?

But I haven’t heard this argument with basketball. It’s supposed to be the safest major American sport. Minus the ACL tears, or the eyeballs popping out, getting scratched or rolling an ankle are about the worst thing that could happen to a player. You don’t have players trying to hurt each other, like in football, even baseball. And that’s what leads me to an opinion I haven’t come across yet.

Kevin Ware did this to himself. No one pushed him. No one landed on his ankle, forcing it to break. No one tackled him low.

Ware jumped to block a shot. Was never touched on the play. He landed awkwardly on his own accord. So, once again, why am I supposed to feel bad for Ware?

Louisville players’ reaction. Photo courtesy msnbc.com.

Yeah. I’ve never had my leg snap in half. But I’ve also never had an athlete’s health care.

Yeah. Ware’s dreams of playing and winning a National Championship have been crushed.

But he’s living a dream of playing college hoops anyway. Something many fans would break their leg in half just to have the same opportunity.

Yeah. That sucks for Louisville.

But look at what Ware’s injury did to jump-start the determined emotions of a collegiate team playing for all the marbles?

Yeah. He may never play again.

But he’s got a free ride through a collegiate education.

Hopefully, Ware realizes now how quickly his physical talents can disappear. That life’s not all about basketball. That he should prepare his mind to contribute to this world, and use this injury as a catalyst. Not many players are that lucky.

And that’s what I’m struggling to type out, but it’s the truth: Kevin Ware is one lucky dude.

After beating Duke, Louisville holds up Ware’s #5 jersey. Photo courtesy nesn.com.

He might not think that right now, but somewhere down the road, I hope he stumbles upon this idea. Maybe he realized it while his entire team came to tears for him on the sideline. I have faith he’s on the right track: telling his team to beat Duke with a bone sticking out of his leg. That made headlines. It inspired his veteran coach. And his dedication to his team resonated emotionally with every fan who read about it.

More importantly, it showed he has a brain. And hopefully he realizes he’s lucky to have that. Because if you lose that, then no one is going to give a damn about you.

Blame our society. The media. The devil. Obama. Blame whoever you want. But it’s the truth. Seeing legs snap in half. Arteries severed. Knees bent backwards. Broken jaws and noses. These all get more attention than blows to the head.

Kevin Ware on crutches the day after. Photo courtesy cbsnews.com.

Maybe it’s because there’s nothing to see after a concussion. Fans need evidence that they’re getting what they paid for. And concussions are so boring. There’s no blood spurting out. No bones poking through the skin. No teammates crying, huddled around the concussed. No one is praying.

But they should. The brain doesn’t heel like a surgically-repaired tibia. That’s science. And I wonder how long it’s going to take to get sports fans realize this.

Gruesome isn’t a leg bone poking out of your skin.

Gruesome is losing your ability to perceive reality.

Let’s change how we react to these two entirely different types of injuries. Let’s follow CBS’s lead and not invest too much air time on the broken bones.

We also can’t put these highlight reel injuries into perspective without getting stories about the affects of head trauma later in life. Where’s the Junior Seau story sweeping the media? Let’s stop brushing the afflicted under the rug and give the real gruesome injuries the attention they deserve.

There weren’t may places you could go yesterday where the topic of the hideous broken leg suffered by Louisville’s Kevin Ware on national TV Sunday wasn’t discussed. But will it lead to changes in how college players are compensated? I certainly hope so.

Rick Pitino spent all night at the bed side of Kevin Ware, who had arguably suffered one of the most gruesome injuries ever shown on National TV. Pitino was praised for his sensitivity in the wake of the incident, as was CBS Television, who mercifully made the decision to never show the replay of the compound fracture again as the player was carefully taken from the floor. But are those two parties going to put up or shut up when it comes time to help Kevin Ware’s family pay the bills?

In an article published today, the sticky details of who will pay for Kevin’s medical bills and long rehabilitation came up, and it was uglier than the injury if you can believe that.

As it turns out, Pitino could choose not to renew Ware’s scholarship to the University of Louisville if he so desires (I doubt that he will, because I do believe he is a stand up guy in this case, but he could).

CBS, meanwhile, who will bank millions of dollars from broadcasting the college tournament, can not legally help the family pay the medical bills, because that would be against NCAA rules.

Many institutions have come forward and paid the medical bills of injured athletes, and I’m pretty sure the Ware family will wind up getting covered by the University of Louisville. Mainly, because it’s such a high profile case.  But what about all the lesser known athletes who suffer career ending injuries, and lose their scholarships and wind up paying for their own medical bills? Is that just the risk you take?

Before Ware was even taken from the floor Sunday, the discussion on Twitter turned to compensation for college athletes. And I hope that discussion once again comes to the forefront.

Here’s what I think athletes should get:

– The NCAA should give athletes a small stipend to cover incidental costs while competing (I held a job while in college to cover incidentals, many athletes cannot because of time commitments to their sport).

– The NCAA should cover athletes with full medical insurance if their families aren’t covered or can’t afford it.

– The NCAA should start accounts in which players can get a piece of the television payouts if they participate in big games like the BCS championships in football, and the March Madness basketball tournament. The money would not come to them until they graduate with a full degree.

See what I did there? I set up a system to encourage marginal players to stay in school, and talented ones could still leave early and cash in on their talents.

What do you think?

PS — I was stunned by the amount of people who posted photos of the gruesome injury on social media sites where unsuspecting people were exposed to it. I’m not mad at you for doing that, but I feel sorry for you. You clearly seek to do sensational things to draw attention to yourself, and that’s kind of pathetic.

Thoughts and prayers for Louisville’s Kevin Ware who suffered one of the most gruesome injuries I’ve ever seen in my entire life. I’ll never forget the reactions of his teammates, Coach Rick Pitino, and Duke guard Tyler Thornton when that unfortunate incident occurred. Glad to hear he is now on crutches in the hospital and in good spirits as he will be headed back to his hometown of Atlanta this weekend to watch Louisville try and cut down the nets for him.

Kevin Ware’s injury was reminiscent of Joe Theismann vs. L.T. and Giants in ’85 on Monday Night Football and Napoleon McCallum with Raiders vs. San Fran. in ’94 on MNF. looked ten times worse than South Carolina’s Marcus Lattimore and Univ. of Miami’s Willis McGahee in ’02 BCS Title Game. It was an extremely prudent and very classy for CBS Network to NOT show Kevin Ware’s horrific injury at halftime or after the game.

Speaking of the Final Four, at least I accurately picked 2 of the teams to make it correctly: #1 seed Louisville and 4^th seed Michigan. Other than that, my brackets are a bigger mess than a pack-rat on an episode of Hoarders.

Trey Burke’s EPIC 23-point performance for Michigan in the 2^nd half and overtime against Kansas showed why he is not only the BEST point guard in America, but hands down the National Player of the Year.

After Calvin “C.J.” Leslie declares for the NBA Draft, Freshman Rodney Purvis announced he is transferring from the Wolfpack. It was the sixth player that transferred from N.C. State since Mark Gottfried took over and the ninth player to leave since 2010. Things don’t look good on the surface for the pack in the upcoming season.

Congratulations to Gregg Marshall (Former Winthrop Coach) and Wichita State on beating #2 Seed Ohio State and #1 Seed Gonzaga to make it to the Final Four. Last time a team from Missouri Valley Conference made it to the Final 4 was Indiana State back in 1979 with a guy by the name of Larry Bird.

Great news, it’s “Opening Day” in Major League Baseball. BAD news, I’m still a DIE HARD, lifelong-suffering New York Mets Fan.

Glad to see pictures of Louisville’s Kevin Ware up on crutches. I have never seen a more gruesome injury at a big sporting event. No way to not think of Joe Theisman…

I thought CBS Sports did a nice job of covering the injury, and the emotional reaction to it, without going too far…

Kevin Ware is exhibit-A why you can’t blame a guy for going pro if he has the chance to make it…

If the Hawkeyes play the way they did at Virginia, they’ll win the NIT. Here’s a picture from Madison Square Garden…

Photo courtesy of U of Iowa.

Quick, who won the NIT last year?…

Stanford. (I think.)…

Michigan saved the Big Ten. Can’t call yourself the best basketball conference and advance 0 teams to the Final Four. Trey Burke made sure that didn’t happen…

I won’t lie, I enjoyed seeing the Baylor women lose. Kim Mulkey didn’t. The Baylor coach may have been right about officiating, but she sounded like a sore loser…

I feel like there’s a “Game of Thrones Club”, and I’m not invited…

Here’s a quote from Steve Alford after he agreed to a 10-year deal at New Mexico two weeks ago: “There is no other place I would rather coach than at New Mexico, representing the best fans in the country.” Here’s a quote from Alford a week later after he accepted a job at UCLA: “When I kept thinking about things, it still came back to UCLA.”  No one fails upward like Alford. Well, not since Auburn hired Gene Chizik…

Coaching contracts aren’t worth the paper they’re written on. Or maybe they are,  and that’s the problem. Either way, why can coaches break contracts and work right away, but players who transfer have to sit out a year?…

I’m thinking about going to the Barnstormers game Friday night. The 2-0 start on the road, plus Jim Brinson’s one-of-a-kind, have to hear to believe, touchdown calls have me excited for the season…

Sunday I’m taking my boys to the Globetrotters. I can’t wait. The Globetrotters helped me have one of my best birthdays ever. I hope my kids have half as much fun as I did. And half as much fun as they did at Saturday’s Timberwolves game…

Super Steelers

SUPER BOWL 14 – YouTube.

One of the best Super Bowls of all time with perhaps the best announcer of all time in Pat Summerall calling the game. And also the only Super Bowl appearance for the Los Angeles Rams and of course the Steelers fourth Super Bowl championship in six years.

If you experienced this moment in real time as I did, then maybe, like me, you missed the initial horror of the break.  The first tell to the severity of the situation was the shocked look on Tyler Thornton’s face, the Duke player who shot and made the three pointer Ware was attempting to block.  It was an odd reaction to a made basket.  The next camera shot was of three Louisville players on the ground, one whose head was burrowed against the court.

First thought: a small bomb went off.  Second thought: earthquake.

These speculations were pushed aside by the sight of Ware on his back in front of the Louisville bench.  Left leg straight.  Right leg bent at an impossible right angle.

In the age of instant — and I mean instant — replay, CBS twice showed the slow-motion snap of Kevin Ware’s leg.  With each replay I wailed.  Yes, wailed.  Loudly.

This was unchartered territory.  A new frontier of emotion I don’t recall experiencing while watching a sporting event.  Though some people have compared this to Joe Theismann breaking his leg on Monday Night Football in 1985, I’m too young to have cogently experienced that event.

What mesmerized me most about the situation wasn’t the replay or even Ware writhing on the ground, it was that CBS didn’t cut to commercials.

The NCAA’s Final Four is one of the most corporate events of the television year.  March Madness brought $183 million of ad revenue into the CBS coffers in 2012.  Saying there’s a lot at stake here for CBS to get this event right for their sponsors is an understatement.

In our world of corporate sanitization, all signs would have pointed to a commercial break during the delay.  Flash ‘em a commercial of a young couple swooning over a dishwasher.  Maybe a middle-aged mother figure high-fiving Mr. Clean in the kitchen.

But no, CBS let us experience the raw emotion of the event alongside the young college athletes.  It was riveting television.  We were off script for nine minutes.  There it is right there.  That’s the most evocative part of the nationally televised compound fracture, we were off script.  Television is a contrived universe by definition.  Network sitcoms typically contain banal plots and driveling dialogue.  So-called ‘reality television’ is guilty of some of the most fabricated moments we experience in media.

Reality and television ne’er collide.

Yesterday, for nine minutes, however, they did collide.  I was moved near tears as both Rick Pitino and Mike Krzyzewski — two of the classiest men in modern sports — floundered to lead their team of young men through the calamity.  Players hugged.  Pitino cried.  Athletes of this caliber are our culture’s definition of ultimate manhood.  And CBS showed these men navigating a range of emotion men aren’t generally allowed in America.  Not in public anyway.  It all felt so raw.  Uncensored.  Shocking.

By all this, I mean it felt human.  There was a humanity to that nine minute delay that I seldom experience through the Time Warner lens of my television.  And what made it feel even more human was that millions of other Americans, mostly men I imagine, were experiencing this moment at the same time.

How often can we be so collectively human during a corporate-sponsored event?

Thank you, CBS.  First, for not exploiting the gruesome injury for cheap shock value with continuous replays and Kevin Ware close-ups.  And secondly, for letting us exist in the same emotional, human space for nine minutes.  As a writer, you’ve taught me a challenging lesson: let your audience exist in the white hot center of chaotic human emotion.  It’s the only way to understand who we are as a species.

I was listening to this game, but I was preparing Easter dinner. I turned to watch the TV and saw people with facial expressions of shock. It took a while to figure out exactly what happened. (I luckily missed the two CBS Sports replays.)

The short story: on Final Four Sunday, April 7, the day before the Final, there will be now be 3 so-called ‘Play-out’ exhibition games between former No. 1 or No. 2 regional seeds that have been eliminated (including Ohio State, Indiana, Duke, Kansas, Georgetown and Miami; specific matchups and times to be determined).  These games carry no official significance but clearly will have strong fan appeal.  CBS will schedule these games so as to not interfere with the Academy of Country Music Awards broadcast, which starts at 8pm EST.

NCAA officials explained these changes as an effort “to satisfy the unexpectedly strong recent demand among NCAA Basketball’s rapidly growing fan base, particularly internationally”.  It is no secret that March Madness has evolved into an enormously popular event.  Even President Obama took time from his schedule to weigh in.  In addition, the event’s female viewers, already 48% of the audience, make up an increasingly ardent fan base.  Still, satisfying new fans is not at the center of this decision.

The real motivator is much simpler:  Money.   Turner Sports and CBS, seeing early tournament exits by most of the more popular top seeds, are exploiting the networks’ unsurpassed ability to create more hours of high-quality entertainment.  Advertisers have already signed on, and since the participating schools were offered a generous share of the revenues, gaining their participation was relatively simple.  Only former No. 1 seed Gonzaga declined the offer, due to a conflict with a Tech N9ne concert in Seattle.

This is a sad example of short-sightedness, laying bare the craven quest for TV ratings that we now see is the real driver behind many of the sporting world’s decisions.  Unfortunately, it is a severe body blow for the integrity of NCAA Basketball and big-time sports.  Clearly, the theory goes, while everyone loves a Cinderella, you still don’t really expect huge numbers to tune in for Wichita State, right?  So, why not just bring in the biggest names for a curtain call?

Here’s why –  in this era of sports free-agency and seemingly limitless payrolls and budgets, it’s important to remember that the unexpected can and does happen – - with talent, grit and maybe a little luck, on any given day, David can slay Goliath.  Hence the excitement for FGCU and Wichita State.  They’re the real reason we tune in to March Madness, even if they do destroy our brackets.  Diluting the event with meaningless games just for spectacle will only cheapen the NCAA brand while overshadowing the teams deserving of our attention.

So, a message to the NCAA, CBS and Turner Sports:  you’ve got a jewel in the current March Madness (as long as the field doesn’t expand) – and it’s exactly what people are looking for — as is.

The short story: on Final Four Sunday, April 7, the day before the Final, there will be now be 3 so-called ‘Play-out’ exhibition games between former No. 1 or No. 2 regional seeds that have been eliminated (including Ohio State, Indiana, Duke, Kansas, Georgetown and Miami; specific matchups and times to be determined).  These games carry no official significance but clearly will have strong fan appeal.  CBS will schedule these games so as to not interfere with the Academy of Country Music Awards broadcast, which starts at 8pm EST.

NCAA officials explained these changes as an effort “to satisfy the unexpectedly strong recent demand among NCAA Basketball’s rapidly growing fan base, particularly internationally”.  It is no secret that March Madness has evolved into an enormously popular event.  Even President Obama took time from his schedule to weigh in.  In addition, the event’s female viewers, already 48% of the audience, make up an increasingly ardent fan base.  Still, satisfying new fans is not at the center of this decision.

The real motivator is much simpler:  Money.   Turner Sports and CBS, seeing early tournament exits by most of the more popular top seeds, are exploiting the networks’ unsurpassed ability to create more hours of high-quality entertainment.  Advertisers have already signed on, and since the participating schools were offered a generous share of the revenues, gaining their participation was relatively simple.  Only former No. 1 seed Gonzaga declined the offer, due to a conflict with a Tech N9ne concert in Seattle.

This is a sad example of short-sightedness, laying bare the craven quest for TV ratings that we now see is the real driver behind many of the sporting world’s decisions.  Unfortunately, it is a severe body blow for the integrity of NCAA Basketball and big-time sports.  Clearly, the theory goes, while everyone loves a Cinderella, you still don’t really expect huge numbers to tune in for Wichita State, right?  So, why not just bring in the biggest names for a curtain call?

Here’s why –  in this era of sports free-agency and seemingly limitless payrolls and budgets, it’s important to remember that the unexpected can and does happen – - with talent, grit and maybe a little luck, on any given day, David can slay Goliath.  Hence the excitement for FGCU and Wichita State.  They’re the real reason we tune in to March Madness, even if they do destroy our brackets.  Diluting the event with meaningless games just for spectacle will only cheapen the NCAA brand while overshadowing the teams deserving of our attention.

So, a message to the NCAA, CBS and Turner Sports:  you’ve got a jewel in the current March Madness (as long as the field doesn’t expand) – and it’s exactly what people are looking for — as is.