Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

There are more Russians standing up to Putin than Republicans.

The poor and middle-class pay taxes, the rich pay accountants, the wealthy pay politicians.

Republicans cannot even be trusted with their own money.

“In the future, this lab will be a museum. do not touch it.”

Black Jesus loves a paper trail.

Republicans do not trust women.

The party of Reagan has become the party of Putin.

You passed on an opportunity to be offended? What are you even doing here?

We can show the world that autocracy can be defeated.

Is it irresponsible to speculate? It is irresponsible not to.

How stupid are these people?

A sufficient plurality of insane, greedy people can tank any democratic system ever devised, apparently.

When tyranny becomes law, rebellion becomes duty. ~Thomas Jefferson

When they say they are pro-life, they do not mean yours.

I’m more christian than these people and i’m an atheist.

Shut up, hissy kitty!

Lick the third rail, it tastes like chocolate!

the 10% who apparently lack object permanence

Something needs to be done about our bogus SCOTUS.

Giving in to doom is how authoritarians win.

Celebrate the fucking wins.

Wow, you are pre-disappointed. How surprising.

Never give a known liar the benefit of the doubt.

Too often we confuse noise with substance. too often we confuse setbacks with defeat.

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Reader Interactions

323Comments

  4. 4.

    comrade scott's agenda of rage

    Let the Duke hatred spew forth!

    So far this year in terms of major sports outcomes, the “good guys” are 1/1 in that the Saints won the Soooper Bowl.

    Dare we hope for 2/2?

  6. 6.

    DougL (frmrly: Conservatively Liberal)

    I’ve been known to black out things I don’t like.

    Don’t worry, it’s a national pastime.

  7. 7.

    Punchy

    but I’ve been known to black out things I don’t like.

    Racist.

    Butler vs. Duke sounds like a squabble inside an English royal mansion….

  8. 8.

    arguingwithsignposts

    @#1:

    Down a shot every time an announcer says “Hoosiers.”

    This has been one of the most asinine “story lines” of this entire tournament. Even though Butler is a small school, Duke’s undergrad student enrollment is only 6,500 per Google.

    And I won’t do it because I want to survive the .500 bac that would entail!

  10. 10.

    comrade scott's agenda of rage

    I’ve been known to black out things I don’t like.

    Does that mean you don’t remember voting for the Worst. President. Ever?

    Twice?

    Don’t worry, we’re always here to remind you. :)

  13. 13.

    madmommy

    eemom-Their campus is only a few miles from where they’re playing tonight. I read somewhere today that Butler plays their home games in the stadium that was used in “Hoosiers”. So there is some tenuous connection.

    Anyone see that Vanderbilt pitcher get his kneecap broken by a line drive? He still managed to grab the ball and lob it to first for the out. That is some serious bad-assery right there!

  16. 16.

    beltane

    My nine year old son’s indoor soccer team just lost a game 0-8. It was hideous. It will be a few days before I can watch anything involving a ball.

  17. 17.

    comrade scott's agenda of rage

    One bonus in tonight’s teevee coverage is we won’t hear Billy Packer trying to explain away why a mid-major school like Butler doesn’t belong here. The entire Big 10 does in Billy’s little mind but not the mid-majors.

    One thing that the faster “move up” to the NBA has done to college ball is make it harder for the “royalty schools” to stay on top. Of course a Duke win tonight will make me eat those words.

    Just another reason to root for Butler: rub Billy Packer’s nose in decades of his crap about mid-majors.

  18. 18.

    Cat Lady

    There’s a whole season of Red Sox baseball stretching out in front of me to like an empty four lane highway. The first game already taught me that it ain’t ova til it’s ova. FTFY!

  19. 19.

    Gregory

    I join the civilized world in rooting for a Duke defeat. That Cinderella team Butler are the hometown heroes is just a bonus.

  21. 21.

    TR

    Come on, what’s not to like about Duke?

    The school was founded on the blood money of a tobacco company; its law school is where young Dick Nixon was given his training in ethics and constitutionality; and its student body has a greater sense of entitlement than Social Security.

  22. 22.

    PaulW

    I miss Joakim Noah.
    And Corey Brewer.
    And Lee Humphrey.
    And Taurean Green.
    Al Horford’s doing okay I think.

  23. 23.

    JabbaTheHutaree

    Duke’s undergrad student enrollment is only 6,500 per Google.

    Every time I do teh google, I add 6,500 to the forces of evil? No wonder China wants out!

  24. 24.

    Mark S.

    @beltrane

    My nine year old son’s indoor soccer team just lost a game 0-8.

    Ugh. I’m having flashbacks of my own youth soccer career.

  26. 26.

    Mark S.

    @Sentient Puddle

    Thanks for bringing that up. I’m trying to forget that I ever filled out a bracket this year.

    ETA: This thread is bring up a lot of painful memories.

  28. 28.

    madmommy

    @Sentient Puddle

    My bracket was looking damn good after I picked the Georgetown upset. I was in 50th place till WV lost. Then Kansas wrecked me and half the country. Now I’ll be lucky to end up in the top 100. *sigh*

  29. 29.

    J.W. Hamner

    Butler doesn’t have a chance in hell. I hate Duke as much as anyone born in the state of Maryland can, but Butler is losing this by 30. They should consider it a victory if they’re within 20 at the half. It’s a good thing it’s going to be on so late that most children won’t be scarred from watching the slaughter.

  30. 30.

    Davis X. Machina

    You’ll never know the pain of an ECAC grad student trapped in North Carolina. When Duke played UNC, I used to root for a meteor strike.

  32. 32.

    madmommy

    @J.W. Hammer-
    I don’t know…the betting line was less than 10 points I believe. Not that anyone bets on NCAA sports :)

  34. 34.

    comrade scott's agenda of rage

    Butler already looks better than WVU did. Duke actually looks like they’re having to work for points unlike the warm-up shoot-around they experienced two nights ago.

    I think I’ll gut a chicken and toss the entrails during halftime. You can’t be too careful when appealing to the divine.

  35. 35.

    gwangung

    Butler doesn’t have a chance in hell. I hate Duke as much as anyone born in the state of Maryland can, but Butler is losing this by 30. They should consider it a victory if they’re within 20 at the half.

    Not with Butler’s defence….They’d have to rain threes from half court to do that…

  36. 36.

    anatta

    @Sentient Puddle

    Picked Duke to win the whole thing (and would get 1st if it happens), but I won’t be upset if Butler wins. That bulldog is too damn cute.

  38. 38.

    Litlebritdifrnt

    Like I said before, my boss is a Duke Alum, today he won a motion for sanctions against the biggest gawd damn law firm in the United States (Womble Carlyle) if we can top this off with a Duke win I can float on clouds of air for weeks where my typos will be ignored and my bugging him to get the damn lawsuit filed today! will be met with joy. Pray for me (and Duke)

  39. 39.

    ChrisS

    Butler was a preseason top- ten. They’re a good team.

    They are no Cinderella.

    Though I intensely dislike Matt Howard for being a flopper.

  40. 40.

    TR

    Did you see Coach K’s cute little stool? ADORABLE! It’s like he’s sitting for a class picture at Evil Academy.

  42. 42.

    Jennyjinx

    I have nothing to say about basketball. I just want to tell whoever it is that added “Dingos ate my baby” to the rotating tagline that I love them.

    That’s all.

  43. 43.

    JabbaTheHutaree

    Hmm 20-18 to Butler. It seems the Duke Juggernaut is about as inevitable as Palin-McThingummy.

  44. 44.

    Bobby Thomson

    Couldn’t see the second foul on Howard, but the first one was complete and total bullshit.

  49. 49.

    comrade scott's agenda of rage

    Couldn’t see the second foul on Howard, but the first one was complete and total bullshit.

    I dunno, he lowered his shoulder and plowed into the Dookie.

    Now, the second one? Not nearly as clear cut. I guess the NCAA overlords instructed the refs to be less obvious than usual in calls that favor dook.

  50. 50.

    Sentient Puddle

    So, let’s see how watching from the couch and posting from the iPad works for a while…

  51. 51.

    arguingwithsignposts

    @stuckinred:

    wow dawg, why so bitter? I mean the filmed the damn movie in their gym. Sorta easy pickins to bring it up.

    Except the analogy is nowhere near accurate. It’s a b.s. sports journalism storyline. Yeah, so Gene Hackman walked the court for a camera. BFD. The storyline of Hoosiers was a 1A team beating a 5A team. Not at all comparable.

    I understand *why* they do it. But I don’t think it’s accurate, or worthwhile. There are a lot of good stories about Butler. Hoosiers isn’t one of them.

  52. 52.

    Bobby Thomson

    Bullshit. Zoubek wasn’t planted, was moving his feet all over, actually tripped Howard, and Howard gets called?

    That was classic Duke plus Refs there.

  54. 54.

    J.W. Hamner

    As a purely theoretical inquiry, it’d be waaaaaay to early for someone to admit a reverse jinx attempt. right?

    Regardless, this is just the calm before the storm kids. Duke is going to unleash a huge run heading in to the half. Book it.

  55. 55.

    TR

    what are you a proctologist?

    Because I’m talking about an asshole like Coach K?

    Oh, “stool.” No, I meant the chair he’s sitting on.

  56. 56.

    gwangung

    Regardless, this is just the calm before the storm kids. Duke is going to unleash a huge run heading in to the half. Book it.

    Mmmm….more likely a gradual pulling away…

  57. 57.

    stuckinred

    Hoosiers didn’t have shit on the Cobden Appleknockers!

    One of the stops was in Cobden, IL which brought back memories from when I was 12. In 1964 the Cobden Appleknockers, a high school of only 134 students, went into the title game of the Illinois High School Basketball Game in the days of one-class basketball. Cobden is a town of only 1,100 and basketball was the main sport.

    It was like the movie Hoosiers, with the only difference being that the Appleknockers got beat in the title game by Pekin (can you believe that their nickname back then was the Chinks?) 50-45. In those days the semi-final game was played in the morning and the finals in the evening. Cobden played the number one ranked team, Decatur, beating them by six points through an all out full court press from the opening tip. Pekin won their semi-final game by over 20 with the starters sitting on the bench after 2 minutes into the second half. Cobden just ran out of gas.

  58. 58.

    TR

    That was classic Duke plus Refs there.

    Actually, if you read the NCAA rulebook, Duke can’t be charged with most fouls. If they happen during game play, they must be attributed to the other team.

    Remember 1992, when that Kentucky player was charged with stomping on his own chest?

  59. 59.

    Sentient Puddle

    Regardless, this is just the calm before the storm kids. Duke is going to unleash a huge run heading in to the half. Book it.

    Ugh. I think it’s about to happen…

  60. 60.

    JabbaTheHutaree

    Mildly off-topic, but congratulations to FloTV for winning the “sexist bastard commercial” award.

  62. 62.

    arguingwithsignposts

    @stuckinred:

    obviously you feel quite strongly about this issue.

    As someone who watches sports journalism rival political journalism in a race to the bottom, yeah, I feel quite strongly about it.

    I love the Butler story in terms of getting to the final game against one of the elites of college basketball. But reaching back to that high school game for the David v. Goliath storyline just rubs me the wrong way. Maybe instead of falling back on old tropes, the sports journalists could come up with some new stuff.

    For instance, the babyface Butler coach vs. the wizened veteran Coach K (The Hoosiers coach in the movie was no babyface newcomer).

    tl;dr: sports journalism is mostly cliches. Put on the big boy pants and write some real interesting stories.

  65. 65.

    comrade scott's agenda of rage

    I wouldn’t know. I’m in a hotel room in Topeka KS and they keep breaking away to Tornado Warning stuff for some counties north of us on the KS/NE border.

    We get it buddy, if you live in the town of Washington, get under cover–you’ve only said it a dozen times in the last several minutes. Now get us back to the game.

  68. 68.

    comrade scott's agenda of rage

    This guy is gonna repeat himself until the end of the half. Fuck, there’s a reason I’ll never live in Kansas, this is simply reason #376.

  72. 72.

    Morbo

    @TR: Yeah, that was one of the best lines from the West Virginia game commentary: “They just can’t defend Duke without fouling.” No one can. Year after year.

  73. 73.

    asiangrrlMN

    Woot woot! Fuck yeah, Butler!

    Hey, Gus, is the game on local? I don’t have cable.

    ETA: Fuck. It is on. What to do? I love Bert Blyleven.

    Sorry, folks, the Twins-Angels game. Which I am now watching. And will be flipping to during the second half of the Butler game.

  80. 80.

    comrade scott's agenda of rage

    ASSHOLES DO VEX ME!!!!!!

    This bastard won’t get off the air. He keeps saying “let’s scroll out one more time” hinting that he’s gonna stop yammering. But does he? Nooooooooooo.

    Ah, you asshole. He just ackknowldeged that people have been flooding the station with calls telling him to get off the air. As he puts it “I’d rather be watching the game myself”. Oh shit, now he’s saying “are they at halftime? Good, good news.”

    That means he can yammer on for who knows how long.

    Now, if this storm would just friggin head north into NE, it would be their problem.

    Oh fuck, he just said “when the tornado warning goes away, we’ll go away.”

    I’m heading out to buy guns and put this guy off the air permamently.

  81. 81.

    J.W. Hamner

    Well it’ll have to be a 19-0 run in three minutes….

    Well if someone were to suggest it was going to be a hard fought back and forth contest where Duke wins by 6 as it comes down to free throws at the end… that wouldn’t be a very good reverse jinx now would it?

    Obviously though, Duke has them right where they want them… being within one point just makes the inevitable Duke run to open the half all the more painful for Butler. This is just Coach K employing a rope-a-dope strategy to most effectively crush Butler’s spirit in the second half.

  82. 82.

    Sentient Puddle

    Woot! Butler is doing not terrible!

    On a side note, I really do like sitting on the couch with the iPad. Quite a bit more comfortable than my MacBook. Typing is slow as hell, of course. So maybe not worth watching the game while commenting on BJ.

  83. 83.

    asiangrrlMN

    comrade rage, I take it you have the asinine weather guy? I hate that shit. I really do. Go Twins! Let me know when the Butler game is back on.

  84. 84.

    Comrade Jake

    Sentient Puddle – a question for you – is it obvious how one might connect the iPad to an external monitor or LCD display?

  85. 85.

    stuckinred

    comrade scott’s agenda of rage

    the local stations in Atlanta will put that shit up constantly but when the commercials come on it’s full screen! Swines.

  86. 86.

    Ailuridae

    A quick sports related pet peeve. When powerhouse basketball schools who play a aggressive style of defense as Duke does only have five fouls called on them at the half of a game this physical there is almost no chance for the other team to win. This is especially true when the other non-physical team has been whistled for eight fouls.

    Duke: 9 FTAs; 5PFs
    Butler 4 FTAs; 8PFs

    Additionally Howard and Nored both have two fouls limiting their availability. The numbers above should be inverted and then Butler would be up the 4-6 points they should be.

    But college basketball isn’t really about fair competition and for someone with no dog in the fight besides wanting to see the best team win a well officiated game its too much to ask for a team like Butler to get two well officiated games against powerhouses in the Final Four (Saturday night’s game still wasn’t evenly officiated but was much better than tonight’s game)

    /rant

  87. 87.

    Punchy

    Butler doesn’t have a chance in hell. I hate Duke as much as anyone born in the state of Maryland can, but Butler is losing this by 30. They should consider it a victory if they’re within 20 at the half

    I’m going to keep posting this every 5 minutes, or until Butler wins, just to highlight the assinine’al folly of its message.

  88. 88.

    Sentient Puddle

    @Comrade Jake: Not obvious to me, though it may be possible. I’ll peruse the manual to see if it mentions anything about that.

    EDIT: Yes, it’s doable with a $30 accessory.

  90. 90.

    arguingwithsignposts

    @asianGrrrlMN @Comrade:

    I take it you have the asinine weather guy?

    True story: weather guy in my hometown had to go to the ER to have cucumber removed from his … um, well, …

    Worst kept secret in town. So, yeah, asinine weather guy. heh.

  91. 91.

    OriGuy

    @madmommy:
    I was in Vegas once during the tournament when UNLV was a top pick. The sports books couldn’t legally take bets on any game they might be in. They were going nuts; as the home town team, they wanted them to go all the way, but every UNLV win was another game they couldn’t take bets on.

    @stuckinred:
    Pekin teams were still the Chinks in 1975; my roommate’s girlfriend was from there. Supposedly the town was named by a guy who thought that if Canton, Ohio was directly across the center of the earth from Canton, China, then where he stood was directly across from Peking. Geography has never been a priority in the Midwest.

  93. 93.

    Montysano

    They should consider it a victory if they’re within 20 at the half.

    This “Cinderella” meme is pissing me off. Butler was in the top 15 all year.

    Yeah, I’m a Hoosier….

    Monty +4

  95. 95.

    comrade scott's agenda of rage

    Who watches the teevee from their storm cellar? All this guy’s ramblings are gonna be seen by exactly who? This is northern KS, they have sirens and shit.

    I’m guessing that the station managers are gonna get crucified for this. Plus, all the other local-yokel stations are covering it. Thus, anybody in a trailer park can flip back and forth between the game and the vague reports of impending doom from the skies. Everybody wins.

    Good ole Topeka, gangs, batshit, insane wingnut homophobes and the only redneck brewpub I’ve ever seen in the USofA.

    And tornadoes. Now he’s lecturing people about putting batteries in their storm radios.

    Normally I’d say this guy went to Duke but I don’t think dookies ever step foot in Kansas.

    Ah, he just snidely informed us that the game’s still in halftime so “you’re not missing anything”.

    Where’s the hook?

  96. 96.

    stuckinred

    you can connect the iPad to your TV. The specs page claims “Support for 1024 x 768 with Dock Connector to VGA adapter; 576p and 480p with Apple Component A/V Cable, 576i and 480i with Apple Composite Cable.” So you can hook it up to your TV and get sort-of hi def output if you have a VGA input on your TV, and are otherwise limited to standard def TV output. Pretty lame, considering the device’s support for 720p video.

  97. 97.

    madmommy

    How old is the Butler coach? He doesn’t look like he needs to shave more than once a week!

  98. 98.

    comrade scott's agenda of rage

    Ah hah!

    The station assholes just said they’re gonna go to half screens so the game can be seen as this guy yammers endlessly. That means we viewers will hear him but at least we can see the game.

    Now he’s bitching about how his inbox will be flooded with hate mail in the morning. He realizes he has a HUGE audience for this.

  99. 99.

    Montysano

    its too much to ask for a team like Butler to get two well officiated games against powerhouses in the Final Four

    BS. The officiating was just fine.

    Butler missed 8-10 chip shots that they normally would have made.

  100. 100.

    TR

    The Duke student section has a higher proportion of deluded virgins than an abstinence rally.

  103. 103.

    Bobby Thomson

    But college basketball isn’t really about fair competition

    Ain’t that the truth. At least they let schools from outside three or four conferences get at-large bids now.

    I suppose I should be happy that a majority of Duke’s points is from field goals. That’s a rarity.

  104. 104.

    madmommy

    I’m sure that the parents of the Duke fans are thrilled that they are spending a king’s ransom in tuition for their kids to act like idiots on national television.

  105. 105.

    arguingwithsignposts

    So, is anyone playing the Hoosiers drinking game? Because I’ve got the sound on mute for halftime. Greg Gumbel is just as much an insufferable sports commentator as his brother.

  106. 106.

    Joe Bauers

    1) Zoubek commits an offensive foul on every possession while setting a screen, moving his feet and/or jacking the defender in the face with his shoulder.

    2) Howard really did put his shoulder down and commit that charge, but Zoubek sold it by screaming and leaping backwards as if he had been shot in the chest with a bazooka.

    3) Seriously, does Duke have a deal with Satan where they don’t get called for anything?

  108. 108.

    Neutron Flux

    @comrade scott’s agenda of rage

    I am about 50 miles south of you. I was gonna get all pissed off w/respect to your rant about my weather guy.

    But, yeah, he is being a dick.

  110. 110.

    asiangrrlMN

    arguing, yow. That’s gotta hurt.

    comrade rage, I totally feel you. I was watching an important game once (don’t remember, that’s how important it was), and the asinine weather guy came on to yammer for an hour about a potential tornado. That never happened. Missed the rest of the damn game.

  111. 111.

    Bobby Thomson

    Butler missed 8-10 chip shots that they normally would have made.

    Also true. They should be settled down now.

    Neither team is getting called for traveling, but the personal fouls have been one-sided. Just not egregiously so.

  112. 112.

    Ailuridae

    Montysano:

    The officiating was wildly inconsistent and in favor of Duke. One of the reasons that Butler missed so many “chip shots” is because of Brian Zoubek’s habit of hitting people with his hip as they leave the ground (twice to Howard causing misses and once to Nored).

    With any luck when the officials switch baselines the officiating changes accordingly. If that is the case, Butler might win going away. But that likely won’t be the case as the other team is Duke.

  113. 113.

    comrade scott's agenda of rage

    3) Seriously, does Duke have a deal with Satan where they don’t get called for anything?

    Yes.

    Next question?

  114. 114.

    Violet

    Wow, I’m just tuning into the game. Duke’s only up by one? How’d that happen? Go Butler!

  115. 115.

    Karatist Preacher

    3) Seriously, does Duke have a deal with Satan where they don’t get called for anything?

    If that’s Ted Valentine out there it would explain some things.

  116. 116.

    TR

    Seriously, does Duke have a deal with Satan where they don’t get called for anything?

    Of course they do. He’s their head coach.

    And is it just me, or does Singler look like he came from the Lord of the Rings costume department?

  118. 118.

    arguingwithsignposts

    Okay, here’s my new rule for all sports: The Coach starts talking to the refs, he gets some kind of penalty. Technical foul, whatever. I can’t stand K working the refs like that. I know they all do it, but STFU. You want a cleanly called game, shut the fucking coaches up!

    Have them lose a few games because of technicals. Or because they got sent off the court/field. That’ll teach them to *coach* and not work the refs.

  119. 119.

    Sentient Puddle

    @AWS: Not much of a sports fan, but I could go for that rule. Coaches always seem to love going overboard, you ask me.

  120. 120.

    Ailuridae

    stuckinred:

    Its a pretty widely held view amongst officials that dealing with a team that is going to be overtly physical the entire game is difficult. If you call the game evenly the physical team will commit three or four times as many fouls as the other team. This should happen to a team like MSU or Duke in every game (on the NBA level the Spurs or the Jazz) but if that were to happen it would be viewed as a preference in style of play.

    So when games are officiated like tonight Duke benefits doubly as they practice this way so they are used to it and the other team doesn’t adjust to how much more physical they can be so Duke also has an easier time of it offensively.

  121. 121.

    Ash

    I had the great displeasure of meeting Jon Scheyer once. Even when he was 14 he gave off the aura of a a smug, pretentious Dookie.

    Also, Duck Fuke.

    Also, I’m a mature adult.

  124. 124.

    comrade scott's agenda of rage

    Hooray, the tornado warning is gone so the local station has gone back to network…just in time for commercials.

    I’ll look at this as a glass half full kinda scenario.

    Now if Butler could grab a few rebounds.

  125. 125.

    Joe Bauers

    stuckinred:

    I’ll see your 3 seconds and raise you Zoubek not getting a single foul called against him in the first half.

  126. 126.

    J.W. Hamner

    Being serious for a minute… I would agree with stuckinred that it’s been a fairly officiated game. Butler seems to be getting away with playing a fair bit rougher with Duke than I’m used to seeing other teams get away with.

  127. 127.

    Violet

    Okay, here’s my new rule for all sports: The Coach starts talking to the refs, he gets some kind of penalty. Technical foul, whatever. I can’t stand K working the refs like that. I know they all do it, but STFU. You want a cleanly called game, shut the fucking coaches up!

    In international rugby, the manager and coaches are not allowed to coach during games. They sit in the stands. No working the refs at all.

  128. 128.

    Honus

    I’m a West Virginia who went to UVA, so I hate duke as much as anybody, but WVU shot 19 free throws to Duke’s 9 Saturday night.

  129. 129.

    stuckinred

    Ailuridae

    Well damn man, what do you want, play the game and go back and call the fouls watching on tape? Get together after every call and ask “what ya got” like football. You sure seem like someone that knows the game. It’s played and officiated by people and people are not perfect.

  131. 131.

    stuckinred

    Here’s what’s really stupid, I’m arguing with a bunch of people I wouldn’t know if they were in line next to me at the coffee shop in the morning. my bad

  133. 133.

    Gregory

    I just love the way the refs took Howard out of the game.

    ETA: Yes, without a single foul called on Zoubek. Feh.

  134. 134.

    arguingwithsignposts

    @stuckinred:

    Here’s what’s really stupid, I’m arguing with a bunch of people I wouldn’t know if they were in line next to me at the coffee shop in the morning. my bad

    But that’s why we love you! :)

    Someone is wrong on the Internet! This injustice will not stand!

  135. 135.

    TR

    I just love the way the refs took Howard out of the game.

    They had no choice. He was flagrantly competing.

  136. 136.

    Morbo

    @Gregory:

    Zoubek has two, both at the start of the second half.

    And looks like there’s a blocking (10:51).

  137. 137.

    ChrisS

    Matt Hiward is a dirty player, he’s always pushing the limits and working the refs. I hate Duke but this is a pretty cleanly called game. Butler has been getting away with a lot of flailing arms and hand checking all tournament. They should be getting called.

  138. 138.

    Ailuridae

    Being serious for a minute… I would agree with stuckinred that it’s been a fairly officiated game. Butler seems to be getting away with playing a fair bit rougher with Duke than I’m used to seeing other teams get away with

    Interesting view of “fair”. A fairly officiated game then is not whether each team is called for fouls in accordance with how often they commit then but if one team is allowed to be more physical with the other team than their typical opponent is.

    Duke: 7 PFs against
    Butler 11 PFs against

    Duke an exceptionally physical team. Butler is not.

    Equity!

  140. 140.

    Gregory

    @Morbo: I missed that. About time!

    ETA: And a third on Zoubek as I posted.

    ETA again: That’s nothing compared to the officials negating a Butler basket on a bogus charge call, when the Duke player’s feet were anything but planted, if not actually in the air. Feh.

  142. 142.

    asiangrrlMN

    I don’t see any flagrant bias for Duke, but I do see some–damn it! Make the free throws! That’s why they’re called FREE THROWS!

    I think it’s pretty common for there to be a slight bias towards the bigger team. WHAT? Charge? No no no!

    Zoubek has four now! Hee hee.

    stuckinred, huh? Ask her what?

  144. 144.

    arguingwithsignposts

    @stuckinred:

    Love me? Damn, I’ve only come from the darkside of FDL in the last couple of weeks!

    LOL. Hey, it took Cole how many years to move from the *real* dark side?

  145. 145.

    Ash

    Ok, anyone who thought this was actually fair can take their heads out of their asses now after that one.

  146. 146.

    TR

    Oh what the fuck. Even Clark Kellogg has stopped kissing Duke’s ass enough to admit that was a bad call.

  157. 157.

    ChrisS

    Duke an exceptionally physical team. Butler is not.

    you haven’t been watching the same Butler team as I have then.

  158. 158.

    Ailuridae

    Of course Zoubek could have been called for four fouls in the first five minutes of the game. He’s a talentless ogre that does nothing except commit fouls.

    Its good to see that refs have been blowing the Duke block/charge call for 20 years now.

  159. 159.

    madmommy

    That was a bullshit charge call! Think K will sit Zoubek? There’s still a good bit of time left…

  161. 161.

    asiangrrlMN

    What am I supposed to be asking madmommy? Someone help me out here! Oh ok. Got it.

    Violet, his nickname is the Babyfaced Assassin. I think he’s a senior. I Googled it. He’s twenty.

  167. 167.

    IronyAbounds

    I have a stupid question. I’ve forgotten how to include a link without showing the entire link, but with just a few words. Help anyone?

  168. 168.

    madmommy

    4 points off of free throws by Howard in the last minute or so. Nothing but net. Just no excuse for not hitting those shots.

  170. 170.

    comrade scott's agenda of rage

    Kellogg needs to shut his fucking pie hole about Duke not getting a call.

  171. 171.

    madmommy

    arguingwithsignposts-back in the dark days of the Bush administration I was web-surfing and began commenting on blogs. The name came from being pissed off at something current at the time. Now it’s mine and I don’t want to change it :)

  173. 173.

    asiangrrlMN

    stuckinred, now I get it! I am guessing that we are in agreement as to hitting the damn free throws.

    IronyAbounds, highlight the text you want as your link indicator. Click one of the two link buttons above the comment box. Enter the URL. Voila! Link!

    Goddamn it. stuckinred beat me to it.

  176. 176.

    stuckinred

    asiangrrlMN

    well, I’m not real big on “no excuses”

    as the ol Rudyard said

    f you can dream – and not make dreams your master;
    If you can think – and not make thoughts your aim;
    If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
    And treat those two impostors just the same;

  177. 177.

    Spike

    And I thought Kentucky blew a certain championship when they let WVU beat them last week, but I too have been known to black out things I don’t like. But I do know that I’m not happy about living in a world where either of the ridiculous frauds presented to us tonight can claim to be a champion.

  178. 178.

    comrade scott's agenda of rage

    Howard’s back. I’d guess he’ll foul out in 2 minutes or less.

  179. 179.

    Sentient Puddle

    Is anybody else annoyed at some of the panning camera angles CBS uses? Makes some shit hard to follow for me.

  180. 180.

    Comrade Luke

    Howard’s back. I’d guess he’ll foul out in 2 minutes or less.

    As opposed to Zoubek…

  183. 183.

    stuckinred

    certain championship

    shiiiiiitttttttt, they play the game on the court, not in BIG BLUE LAND. Fuckin bunch a bums coached by a thief.

  184. 184.

    comrade scott's agenda of rage

    Ah, Nance sounds surprised when the two Academic All American’s aren’t on Duke.

    Nothing like the traditional media drones perpetrating the party line. In that regard, they’re just like their print media brethren.

  187. 187.

    asiangrrlMN

    stuckinred, I am really not a ‘no excuses’ person, but, in certain situations, step up or get out! So sayeth the person who’s played basketball…once? Twice? Something like that.

    “Games getting chippy out there!” How many cliches can we spew?

  189. 189.

    Comrade Luke

    As much as I hate Duke, the difference in this game is missed bunnies by Butler.

  190. 190.

    Violet

    Does Coach K get his eyebrows shaped so he resembles the Blue Devil even more than he already does?

  191. 191.

    asiangrrlMN

    Comrade Luke, bunnies? Short jumpers?

    IronyAbounds, snert. That’s funny.

    Go ‘DAWGS!

    Um, Guy grabbed Hayward’s arm and pulled! I don’t think it’s flagrant, though.

  193. 193.

    madmommy

    OMG Hayward went down hard!

    That looked scary for a moment there. But he goes on to hit both his free throws. Again.

  195. 195.

    comrade scott's agenda of rage

    Big collision?

    Solid, clean play?

    I thought nobody could be as odious as Billy Packer but Kellogg’s getting to that point.

  197. 197.

    Bobby Thomson

    Kellogg, you have lost your god damn mind. That was flagrant as shit. Eject the mother fucker.

  201. 201.

    mr. whipple

    Stupid Duke. And could the announcers be up Duke’s ass any further? Ugh.

    No.

    F Duke.

  202. 202.

    asiangrrlMN

    Still don’t think it was flagrant, but it wasn’t just a collision of arms, either.

    Ailuridae, well that’s a nice surprise, I must say.

  203. 203.

    Violet

    Oh, shit. This ad for a video game looks like that Wikileaks video. I just did a double take. Sheesh.

  204. 204.

    Comrade Luke

    It wasn’t flagrant, but the way Thomas just walked away without even looking to see of the other guy was ok was a typical dick move.

    Sorry…Duke move…

  205. 205.

    comrade scott's agenda of rage

    Ah, now we can hear Kellogg start the “Duke Inevitability” Meme.

  208. 208.

    Honus

    I think Kellog is broadcasting from the Duke bench now, with his head in Kryzewskis lap.

  209. 209.

    comrade scott's agenda of rage

    And there’s your treacly “Hoosier” theme. I’d really like to vomit on Nance’s shoes. I’m glad his divorce was messy and he pays his wife 916K a year in alimony.

  210. 210.

    madmommy

    I can’t believe burnspesq isn’t here. He must be watching this, gnawing his fingernails down to the elbow :)

  211. 211.

    Sentient Puddle

    I haven’t watched the wikileaks video, but if it looks like Battlefield Bad Company 2, then I suppose I can guess what’s in the video. Except that it’s real. Which counts for a shit ton.

  212. 212.

    asiangrrlMN

    madmommy, I was just thinking about him, too. Maybe he’s actually at a bar or something watching? Or maybe he doesn’t want to be here if Duke loses.

    Sentient Puddle, I haven’t watched it, either.

    madmommy, oh, he’s watching. I will guarantee it.

  215. 215.

    Keith G

    A really fun game to watch. Good display of team basketball whether or not Butler wins. And Comrade Luke is right. Butler has missed too many simple jumpers.

  217. 217.

    madmommy

    asiangrrlMN-he could be out of town, I think he travels a lot for work. Can’t imagine him missing this game, though!

  222. 222.

    Comrade Luke

    Check out the look on the Dookies faces.

    They can’t believe it.

    I’m loving this.

  225. 225.

    TR

    I startled them by clapping loudly at the last Howard basket.

    The odds are good I wake up my daughter in the next minute.

  226. 226.

    comrade scott's agenda of rage

    Time for Butler’s vaunted “D” to go once more into the breach…then hope they can actually make a jumper at the other end.

  229. 229.

    Gregory

    Great play by Howard just then. The 4.5 seconds he’s been in the game this half, he’s made some key plays.

    ETA: Holy cats, a one point game with less than 15 seconds!

  234. 234.

    comrade scott's agenda of rage

    You can be guarandamnteed there won’t be any fouls called for the rest of the game.

  236. 236.

    asiangrrlMN

    Please please please…

    I think Howard might have been in the half for five seconds, Gregory. Don’t short him the half second!

    And I just woke my cats up again.

    Take the shot with some time left, Butler. Just in case. Well shit. Kellogg said the same damn thing. I feel dirty now.

  240. 240.

    madmommy

    My alarm goes off at 5 am. If this game goes into OT I am gonna be so screwed.

    Come on Butler!!! Duke is gonna try to foul on the inbounds, I think.

  242. 242.

    Ailuridae

    You mean when Zoubek came over Howard;s back only to have Kellogg say Howard flopped as the replay showed Zoubek clearing Howard out with an elbow to the head.

    Really?

    Duke 14 PFs
    Butler 17 PFs

    And Duke has been playing football

  243. 243.

    minachica

    Why am I supposed to hate Duke?

    /nerd eating an organic mom-made sack lunch who really wants to know why she should hate Duke so maybe someday she might be popular

  249. 249.

    comrade scott's agenda of rage

    Fuck. Duke’s gonna win this one.

    All those missed shots by Butler. Makeable shots too.

  250. 250.

    asiangrrlMN

    minachica, because they are the heavy favorites and quite arrogant.

    Aaaaargh!

    Damn. Back to baseball. Heh. Dick and Bert are talking about Butler.

  251. 251.

    Comrade Luke

    You know, Zoubek wouldn’t have been able to get that board if he would have been called for that blatant foul on the other end…

  253. 253.

    Gregory

    Ah, rats. That’s been the story of the night, Butler missing the short shots.

    Phooey.

  262. 262.

    Turgidson

    well, that was a really good game.

    Too bad the college version of the Yankees/Lakers had to win.

  264. 264.

    IronyAbounds

    Ok, Coach K, you can retire now and go back into your rathole. I fart in your general direction.

  265. 265.

    madmommy

    What a game! Butler gave Duke a fight the whole game.A lot of people thought it was gonna be a blowout. Butler had a hell of a run and they should be proud.

    BTW, Howard’s wispy little moustache is the saddest thing I have ever seen.

  266. 266.

    Violet

    It was a great game, though. Butler should be so proud of themselves. Really amazing tournament.

    But fucking Duke. Fuck ’em.

  267. 267.

    comrade scott's agenda of rage

    There is no such thing as a good game if Duke happens to win the game.

  268. 268.

    J.W. Hamner

    Well that sucks… my mojo wasn’t strong enough. Probably shouldn’t have admitted I was trying to jinx Duke with the blowout prediction.

  269. 269.

    Honus

    Here’s why:

    “Come on, what’s not to like about Duke?
    The school was founded on the blood money of a tobacco company; its law school is where young Dick Nixon was given his training in ethics and constitutionality; and its student body has a greater sense of entitlement than Social Security.”

    And they have athletes that write e-mails like this:
    “A couple of hours after the party ended, Ryan McFadyen, a member of the lacrosse team, sent an email to other players saying that he planned to have some strippers over and made references to killing them and then cutting off their skin while wearing his Duke-issue spandex and ejaculating.”
    Such behavior is apparently approved behavior at the elite seminary school:
    “McFadyen was not charged with any crime, but he was suspended from Duke, due to what the university described as safety concerns.[27] However, on June 29, 2006, the university reinstated him citing the fact he had broken no University policy through his actions.”

    It’s no aberration that Nixon went to Duke.

  273. 273.

    Gregory

    The Butler players absolutely should be proud of themselves. They played a great game.

  274. 274.

    Keith G

    If only, but a nearly totally awesome end. Funny, but it may be seen as a bit of a hollow victory as Butler’s perseverance is the real story.

  276. 276.

    Joe Bauers

    Coach K is a sanctimonious phony, his players are assholes, and every single person associated with that university is ugly.

    God hell, when they play UNC, how do you decide who to root against? They’re only a bus trip apart, so you can’t even root for a plane crash.

  278. 278.

    comrade scott's agenda of rage

    Haters hate, losers lose, winners win.

    But dickheads are eternal.

  282. 282.

    Ash

    God hell, when they play UNC, how do you decide who to root against?

    You root against humanity for allowing such games to happen.

  284. 284.

    comrade scott's agenda of rage

    God hell, when they play UNC, how do you decide who to root against? They’re only a bus trip apart, so you can’t even root for a plane crash.

    In the Open Thread, somebody always rooted for a meteor strike.

  285. 285.

    gwangung

    “The school was founded on the blood money of a tobacco company; its law school is where young Dick Nixon was given his training in ethics and constitutionality; and its student body has a greater sense of entitlement than Social Security.”

    On the other hand, my alma mater was built on the blood of indentured servants by a man who would screamed holy hell if he saw my face on his campus and is the home of the Herbert Hoover Institute.

    Some of us do believe in penance….

  288. 288.

    madmommy

    The alarm clock calls in a few hours.

    Maxwel-yet you were conspicuously absent the entire game. After all of your mouthing off in previous threads about the awesomeness that is Duke, this is somewhat surprising. Were you wetting yourself in fear that they might not win?

  289. 289.

    Violet

    I’ve got a good friend who went to Duke undergrad and law school. He’s one of the nicest people ever. They’re not all bad. He’s obviously a rabid Duke fan, and it’s because of him I’ve got a soft spot for Duke.

    But Coach K…..shudder.

  292. 292.

    Bobby Thomson

    Damn it. Even with the usual shenanigans, they should have gotten it done. Fucking inches.

    If Butler can keep Stevens around, though, they can recruit now. And if there’s a top 15 ranking again, maybe the NCAA committee will see fit to seed them higher than a 5 seed.

    Damn it, damn it, damn it.

  293. 293.

    Maxwel

    Coach K is easily the great man of our time in sports. Those of you who think otherwise are just looking in the mirror.

  294. 294.

    Comrade Jake

    I think post 272 is my personal favorite post in this thread. That’s just awesome. I assume you’re a Maryland fan?

  295. 295.

    batgirl

    @265 And this. I know someone at Duke right now. Her father can probably pay for all four years from the money he rakes in in one year from ONE of big corporate boards he sits on. Yet she complains that the middle class doesn’t pay shit it taxes and that health care is a luxury.

    Fuck Duke!

  297. 297.

    eemom

    I’ll have y’all know that in 1986, when I was actually on the scene watching the game on a giant screen at the Duke “quad,” silently rooting against them whilst thousands of crazed fanatics cheered them on……..They. LOST.

    Guess my evil mojo doesn’t work at this great of a distance. Or maybe I’m just getting old. : (

  298. 298.

    Comrade Jake

    Purdue fan, actually. So I come by the bitterness honestly.

    Well at least you guys have a decent football team.

  300. 300.

    J. Michael Neal

    asiangrrl, what channel are the Twins on? FSN is showing some sort of MMA, despite the channel guide saying it should be baseball.

  301. 301.

    batgirl

    @286 In my defense, I am a UNC grad. You receive a dose of Coach K hate with your diploma.

  302. 302.

    Montysano

    If Butler had made 1/2 of the easy shots that they should have made, they would have won by 10. Easy for me to say, eh?

    Both teams played killer defense. Duke was just slightly better tonight.

  305. 305.

    Comrade Luke

    OH FOR FUCK’S SAKE – JENNIFER HUDSON?!

    And they show her singing like it’s a fucking music video.

    I hate CBS.

  308. 308.

    Church Lady

    CBS just managed to ruin it. One Shining Moment sung by Jennifer Hudson? Hell to the No! I feel violated.

  309. 309.

    Comrade Jake

    I think if Hayward has another chance at that shot, he probably swishes it.

    Tough loss for Butler. That was just an incredible game really.

  311. 311.

    Comrade Luke

    Ha – One Shining Moment is a Top 10 trending topic on twitter right now, with everyone ripping it.

  313. 313.

    Maxwel

    @madmommy:

    Yeah, I was watching the game as opposed to participating in a haters forum. Fuck you very much.

  316. 316.

    Honus

    once more: Maxwel, did you actually go to Duke? Or are you just another front-running fanboy?

  317. 317.

    Honus

    And Maxwel, I’m a little confused here; when did he win the other 2 NCs and the second gold medal?

  318. 318.

    Maxwel

    @Honus:

    I became a Duke fan in ’77 when I was an employee of Duke. Why is this important to you?

    Apparently you’re a little slow – I’m predicting 2 more NCs and another medal in 2012.

  319. 319.

    Splitting Image

    Yay! I finished 21st out of 500 in the Yahoo bracket. I win… what exactly? Sad that Duke accounted for nearly half of all the points I collected (63 points from them, 74 from the other 63 teams altogether). Next time I’ll have to pick more upsets.

    Props to the two or three people who picked Butler to win it all. Even if they fell short by a couple of points, that was some damn fine predicting.

  320. 320.

    Honus

    Ah, so you were a janitor during the Bill Foster era. What a close connection. Following the lacrosse team, or are you strictly a Trinity basketball fan?
    Oh, you’re predicting two more championships and another gold medal. Thanks for the explanation. Like a lot of intellectuals I tend to read things a bit too literally. Why not just predict he will surpass John Wooden’s eleven?

  321. 321.

    arguingwithsignposts

    I’m predicting 2 more NCs and another medal in 2012.

    I’m predicting bowing out in the second round as per recent history, and U.S. dominance in medals isn’t predicated on Coach K. Asshole.

  322. 322.

    Maxwel

    You people are so pathetic – something wrong with being a janitor? If Singler comes back next year, Duke may go undefeated – but then I’m actually paying attention. All you people have is your hate. There’s nothing worse than haters.

    Believe it or not, I picked Butler to make the FF.

  323. 323.

    burnspbesq

    Twas most amusing to read this thread in the clear light of the day after.

    Bad news, haters: we’re going to be good again next year, regardless of whether Kyle comes back. We have a very good recruiting class coming in, Los Plumlees will improve over the summer, and Seth Curry will be eligible after sitting out this year.

    If Kyle comes back, we’ll be very good.

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