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I Wish This Buffet(t) Deal Was in My Hometown
Bracket filled-out? Check. Doing well so far on Day 1? Check. Currently working for Warren Buffet? No…
“In an interview with CNBC last month, Buffett said any employee who accurately predicts all Sweet 16 teams will receive $1 million per year for the rest of his or her life.”
–“Warren Buffett’s NCAA tournament bracket challenge: Perfection earns $1 million a year for life” by Tom Schad, USA Today
“The Oracle of Omaha” is clearly in the spirit of the “one shining moment” in March Madness. This isn’t the first time the 87-year-old has made a similar wager for his employees. And not only is it amazingly generous to award $1 million/year for the rest of your life (damn!), but to award a perfect Sweet 16 is the stunning part of this spectacular monetary equation. Not a perfect bracket or a perfect Final Four, but a perfect Sweet 16. That’s not a slam dunk by any means, yet it is possible with a little bit of luck.
It’s not a chocolate factory, but it’s still pretty good.
Happy Monday
The 2017 Men’s Final Four left college basketball fans wanting more.
Especially fans cheering for Gonzaga and North Carolina.
The 2016/2017 National Championship will be a great battle between the one-seed Gonzaga Bulldogs and the one-seed North Carolina Tar Heels. Admittedly, readers of this blog post should know I am a big UNC fan. My oldest sister attended and graduated from Chapel Hill back in the days of Bill Guthridge and Matt Doherty. So, it’s been nearly 20 years of cheering for the Tar Heels.
With that being said (or written), tonight’s game will be a fantastic sporting event. Yes, an event. Gonzaga wants to win its school’s first ever national championship, whereas North Carolina feels like it has to win this year’s national championship. And that may be what separates these two top-shelf teams in the end:
The difference between want to and have to with the title on the line.
It’s my belief that Joel Berry II was (purposely) on cruise control against Oregon, nursing his injured ankles/recovering from his ankle injuries. The shots that went in or didn’t weren’t of issue to Roy Williams. Clearly. The point is that Berry’s mere presence on the court for UNC is game-changing for the men sporting sky blue.
However, against a very talented Gonzaga squad, Mr. Berry’s mere presence won’t likely be enough to cut the nets down in jubilation.
He’ll need help from his very talented teammates (and coaching staff).
This season’s national championship will be one heel hell of a game.
I just hope two of those heels on the court tonight in Phoenix will have enough spring for that one shining moment.
Have a Better Week Than Last Week.
Happy Monday
Everybody (except Duke, Villanova, etc.) wants a tournament just like this.
The 2017 version of March Madness is in full-swing and this tournament’s reputation for unbridled craziness lives on for yet another season. Upsets of top programs aren’t necessarily that upsetting (as long as it’s not your team) and that feeling has become a trademark of college basketball’s post-season finale played on courts across the country.
On an unrelated, yet related note, The Chainsmokers and Chris Martin of Coldplay recently collaborated to create a great pop song titled, “Something Just Like This.” Thankfully, someone at the NCAA recognized the perfect compatibility of the aforementioned song and the pursuit of something grand in life…
like an NCAA national championship.
There’s some awesomeness for your Monday.
Have a Better Week Than Last Week.
Pandemonium’s Playground is Open
A tornado unlike anything you’ve ever seen before is coming…
No, not that one. Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! will premiere on July 22nd at 9 p.m. ET on the Syfy network.
This tornado is filled with colossal upsets, trending dunks, dancing mascots and buzzer-beaters is finally touching ground in basketball arenas all across the United States today. March Madness, the wildest sports tournament in existence, is tipping off for the final 64 teams after a few teams were required to take an entrance exam for admittance earlier this week. From coast-to-coast, American companies will experience its lowest output for the year.
However, employee excitement levels will be off the charts.
Nobody has figured out an algorithm that is perfectly compatible for this tournament during any given year. That’s probably why sports fans anxiously await this momentous occasion. Any person has a shot at predicting correctly. The rationales for picking Team X or Team Y between Person A and Person B can see a variance as gaping as the Grand Canyon. And more surprising is that logic can and will only determine some of the results. The nature of March Madness is exactly that: madness. Therefore, each person’s bracket needs to have a few major upsets. There should probably be a Cinderella run by a mid-major. Mascot superiority and jersey colors will be determining factors. A few top teams will play exactly as expected. A 16-seed will never win.
As crazy as it reads, I strongly believe that a 16-seeded David will slay a Goliath sometime in the next few to several years. When this happens, the tournament will be deemed certifiably mad.
For some fun, listed below are a few highlights from my bracket:
- Every Iowa school (#7 Iowa, #3 Iowa State, #5 Northern Iowa) will win at least its first round game
- #11 The Dayton Flyers will see good fortune playing in Ohio, specifically in nearby Columbus
- #1 Duke and #2 UVA will meet in the Final Four for an epic ACC clash
- #7 Wichita State will shock the world and bring the entire state of Kentucky to tears en route to another Final Four
- #1 Wisconsin v #4 UNC will be must-see television
- The Arizona Wildcats will officially return to the college basketball summit by winning the 2015 National Championship with Sandra Bullock (“that wildcat behind the wheel”) sitting court side
Jim Nantz: You’re on.
Jimmy's Daily Planet 