March Madness!

It didn't dawn on me when I was born, that there was a particular reason why I was born in the month of March. The simple reason, my birthday is a celebration of March Madness. As I celebrate my birthday tomorrow, NCAA Basketball will be preparing for the most intense month of the year. I am an avid college basketball fan, rooting for the University of Kentucky since I was in middle school. Unfortunately on a side note, it looks like they have a lot of work left to do, to get into the tournament this year. But what is it that so many people find fascinating. Each year, we hear the numbers, millions of works hours are lost with people watching live streams of games in their cubicles. Is it the fact that a small Podunk school can take down the Goliath? Or could it be the last second shot by the guy who hasn't made a basket yet? For me personally, its the upsets. I love to see the little guys get their chance, and make a Cinderella run. Of course that brings me to the next point. The tournament bracket. Filling out a tournament bracket is a must for everyone. Whether you choose to spend hours doing your homework and analyzing why a team should win, or if you want to choose by which mascot would win in a fight ( I wouldn't approve this method, last year my wife picked the Maryland Terrapins because she like the Turtle mascot). We will most certainly have an online bracket for everyone to participate in.But is NCAA basketball the only March Madness going on? This past week I have witnessed some of the best soccer matches I have ever seen. The Champions League has been entertaining, and action packed. Before the round of 16 started, Jeff (Office Soccer Guru) wanted us to fill out which teams would advance out of this round. I want to make it known that, I came out the winner, picking all 8 winners correctly. I just wish I could pick the Streak For Cash that easy. Jeff (Office Soccer Guru) only picked six correctly, with Bayern Munich and Roma selections. Brad on the other hand, I am not sure if he was just throwing darts at a board, but he only got five correct, missing on Sporting Lisbon, Juventus, and Real Madrid. Once the draw is complete we will make sure we get more people involved in the next round.

I hope everyone has a great weekend, and I look forward to the selections for both the Champions League as well as the NCAA bracket. Enjoy.

Kyle Karns
President of Operations

GOAL!!!

Well if you like goal scoring then yesterday's matches from the UEFA Champions League should have been a day in heaven. Most people that think soccer is boring say there aren't enough goals to keep them interested. I don't agree with that sentiment but the 12 goals between two games yesterday was definitely a show of more offense.

Luckily for me when it comes to my ESPN Streak for the Cash, I left the Bayern-Sporting and Liverpool-Real Madrid games alone because I wasn't confident in the outcome. I've worked really hard for my 3 game winning streak so I am waiting on another for sure win. As if there is one. That's what I can't figure out. I try to really look into all of the variables as I make my picks but it seems that more often than not it tends to backfire on me. So I have decided to just go with my gut and stop doing my 30min of homework before each pick. We will see how it continues to go. So far I have 3 wins with this new system. Remember to sign up for the "Michigan Bucks Pool" to compete against Bucks staff and other fans.


Well we are now only 2 1/2 weeks away from the first Bucks hosted event of 2009, the second annual, College Cup. I'm looking forward to seeing many of you here soon. Keep your eyes open for the Insider which will have all the details regarding this event.

Veris Becomes an Islander

Former Bucks defender Kyle Veris has signed with the Puerto Rico Islanders of the USL First Division. Veris, who played for the Bucks in 2002 and 2005, joins the CONCACAF Champions League semifinalists from Norwegian club IL Hodd on a free transfer. After graduating from Ohio State, Veris was drafted by the Los Angeles Galaxy in the 2007 MLS SuperDraft, making 17 appearances and lining up beside David Beckham and Landon Donovan.

In his two stints with the Bucks, the Washington D.C. native made 22 appearances scoring 2 goals. Veris will be eligible for the Islanders when they host Cruz Azul of Mexico in the Champions League semifinal first leg March 17 in Bayamon.

In other news, the Champions League Round of 16 second legs are today and I’m amped to watch the Liverpool-Real Madrid match on ESPN. Remember with the time change, the match will kickoff at 3:45 PM today. Three of the four matches today are tasty, while the Bayern-Sporting Lisbon tie is all but over.

Who do you think will go through in the four matches today? Scores after the first leg are listed. Today’s home teams are listed first. Leave your comments:

Juventus 0 - Chelsea 1
Bayern Munich 5 – Sporting Lisbon 0
Liverpool 1 – Real Madrid 0
Panathinaikos 1 – Villareal 1