* Alas, another successful women’s basketball season ends with disappointment for the USF Bulls. Once again USF had felt disrespected about its NCAA Tournament seed (6). But once again it didn’t show up the seeding committee by at least making it into the tourney’s second weekend. This time it was underdog Buffalo, which routed USF 102-79, that sent the Bulls home. Yet another disappointing, perhaps teachable, moment. You want respect? Beat the likes of Buffalo, which had never even won an NCAA Tournament game until encountering the Bulls last Saturday.
* Glad I wasn’t at that Tampa Bay Lightning-Boston Bruins game last weekend. Not only were the Bolts, the highest-scoring team in the NHL, shutout by the hard-charging Bruins, but they had to do it in front of a “home” crowd that was evenly divided.
Just guessing, but I’ll bet that most of those prominently loud Bruins’ fans in their team jerseys weren’t just visiting for spring break and St. Patty’s in Tampa. It’s much more likely they are relocatees who have no local allegiance when Boston shows up. It’s a frustrating,–and, yes, irritating–ironic reminder that we are a market that is attractive to transplants, who are just not supportive of the home team when their back-home franchise comes to town. It is what it is. Go, Bolts.