The typical NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament has one Cinderella team but this year there are two to watch. Florida Gulf Coast and La Salle surprised everyone by making it to the Sweet Sixteen but the Explorers got knocked out by Wichita State March 28. Florida Gulf Coast University basically came out of nowhere and faces Florida March 29. With all the coverage about the FGCU campus, it sure looks like their enrollment numbers will increase for the next few years. It looks more like a resort than a school! To get back on subject, this year's tournament has proved true to what everyone expected with lots of early upsets. I have no clue who is going to make the final four! My best guess after early rounds to take it all was Indiana, but Syracuse ended that possibility last night. We'll see who's left standing after this weekend.
By the time I write my next column, the Phillies will start their 2013 season. The opener is Monday, April 1, against Atlanta in Atlanta. I hope they play as well as they have in spring training and that their offensive efforts keep improving during the regular season! It's great to see Ryan Howard back on his game and Domonic Brown right up there with him. We need Roy Halladay to stay healthy in order for our pitching staff to offer credibility this year!
Golf's headlines are once again all about Tiger Woods but without the drama. With his win March 25 at the Bay Hill Invitational in Florida, Tiger has reclaimed the number one ranking in the golf world. May his fall to ranking 58th in 2011 be ancient history from here on out. Tiger is good for the tour no matter what you think of him personally. He brings such a high level of competition to the game of golf that is really an asset to the sport (and the sponsors).
I have to finish off this week's column with a shout out to the Women's Univ. of De basketball team and their amazing wins to get them to the Sweet 16! Both games had weak first half performances but they came back both times to win with very strong finishes. It's great that Elena Delle Donne hit her 3000th point as a collegiate player, but the team as a whole has to give her more help if they hope to beat Kentucky this Saturday.
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A 2002 Cape grad and 2007 UD grad, Lewes resident Sumner Spence is one of the Cape area's biggest sports fans. Although he’s used a wheelchair his entire life, he has lived vicariously through his sports-playing father, brother, and friends, who gave him his love of sports. He hopes to provide new and interesting perspectives on the sports stories and issues of the day. Email Sumner at sumspence@gmail.com.
