WBNS-TV Full NCAA Tournament Coverage

A quick review on WBNS' coverage of the NCAA tournament.

First, great props to WBNS for using the full spectrum of the ATSC standard for digital brodcast. For those not in Columbus, or without an ATSC tuner (or digital cable), WBNS turned off their HD signal, and turned on four digital SD channels. What that means, is that DT 10-1 went away, and DT 10-2, 10-3, 10-4 and 10-5 appeared, and each showed the four CBS feeds, for free, over the air.

Even better was that WBNS made a no-brainer partnership with local cable to take the digital signal and show it on digital cable. So if you didn't have a digital tuner in your TV (as I did) you could also use your cable box to check it out.

Now, what is the downside?

Well, for starters, it seems that when you put that may subchannels on the digital signal, that the picture quality begins to degrade. So I think 10-5, as an example, came across rather blocky at times during fast motion shots. I'm not sure if this is the fault of WBNS, or the fault of the technology. FWIW, the digital cable signal also had the same problem.

The other downside for viewers with widescreen tvs is that the signal was all SD. No HD signal at all. I was fine since my TV is 4:3, but others and bars who advertised HD games might have been in for a shocker depending upon how they received their signal....technically it would have been false advertising.

But regardless of the quality issue...this was a great job by WBNS. This is the selling point for digital tuners in TVs. Props to them.

technorati tags: NCAA Tournament, Digital TV

Yes, Billy Packer it IS your job

Chicago Tribune | Packer won't back off tournament criticism

Billy Packer, continues to show what a moron he is on a daily basis.

Yes Mr. Packer, it is your job to know something about all of the Division I teams. In fact, you probably should know something about powerhouses in Div II and III.

Let me explain with an analogy that the Java geeks that come on here from time to time would understand.

It's not in my job description for me to know anything about the following techologies: Java Server Faces, Struts, TestNG, JUnit, JDOM. In fact it's not in my job description to know anything about any of those. All that's in my job description is the functional task that I am assigned. It's my responsibility to keep up with the technologies and trends that will be used in achieving that function and executing. It's my responsibility to find ways to cut costs and do things more effectively.

Last I checked, Mr. Packer, you were a NCAA Basketball analyst. That means, you are supposed to know something about the players, something about strategy and something about the teams that are playing.

So, yes, it is your job to know something about all of the Division I teams. Your job on Selection Sunday was to comment on the brackets. And that you did. And you were clueless as to anyone other than the teams in the Big East and ACC.

Much like Jim Cramer tells us on Mad Money. If you don't have time to do your homework on a stock, don't invest in it. Take your money and give it to a professional. Let them do the homework for you.

You didn't do your homework, Mr. Packer. Perhaps it's time to give your TV time up to a professional who takes the time to do their homework.

technorati tags: Billy Packer, Moron, NCAA, Mad Money, Jim Cramer

Good Guys 2-0 Packer/Nantz

Wichita St 86-66 Seton Hall
Wisconsin-Millwaukee 82-74 Oklahoma

That is enough to call scoreboard on their entire rant. Still doesn't mean that the NCAA comittee is off the hook though. Packer and Nantz were just about the largest tools known to man on Sunday night and deserve every bit of flack they get for their antics.

Time to dissolve the NCAA "Selection Committee"

So I'm officially convinced of it after Sunday's Selection.

The NCAA Selection Committee has to go. It's not even a question.

The entire process has become colluded by politics and no one cares about RPI, Quality Wins or strength of schedule. Otherwise Cincy and Missouri State would be in the tourney. Both teams ability speak for themselves. Missouri State did everything they needed to, except apparently winning at Arkansas. They beat two tourney teams in Oral Roberts and UW-Milwaukee...on the road.

They got the shaft.

And I've come to the realization that all the NCAA should be allowed to do is define how many teams will show up from each conference.

Seriously, either before the season starts, or after the new year, the NCAA committee should go UEFA on us and start doling out number of bids.Big East, you get 7, Big Ten you get 5. MVC you get 3.

Just flat out let the teams know what they're playing for up front. You finish in the top 3 of your league in the MVC, you're in.

No more of this guess work, no more backroom deals at the 11th hour. Let the backroom deals occur in the summer. Each conference gets to decide how they dole out their bids. If the CAA gets 2 bids and wants it to be 1 to the reg. season winner and 1 to the conf tourney, so be it. If they want to skip the tourney and just give it to place 1 and 2 and have a tiebreaker game somewhere...great!

The system has shown that it's not a system. It's a load of crap. You can't tell me that Missouri State didn't do everything it was supposed to. Utah State shouldn't have had to wonder what it needed to do since it moved conferences. It wasn't in until it played well in it's championship game? What else was it supposed to do? Cincy was OUT because one player hit a 3 point shot? The entire season down to a single shot?

No, it's wrong. It's wrong because those teams should have KNOWN what they needed to do to be rewarded before it was too late. They should have known...make it to the Big East semi's and you're in.

And the argument about "This removes the drama" doesn't hold. CBS already said as much with Nantz and Packer basically saying that the big conferences should have gotten more teams in....the clueless wankers that they've proven to be.

Well here's your answer. Define it at the beginning of each year using last year as your measuring stick. Or use the non-conference schedule as your measuring stick as of Jan 1. At that time, state the number of available bids for each league. If the CAA goes out and goes 60-40 with their non-conf schedule and the collective strength of schedule is 5th best, then maybe they get 3 or 4 bids.

CBS gets what it wants if they power conferences deliver. And the guess work goes away. The committee can seed the teams based upon how the conferences submit their clubs pecking order. So if winning the conference tourney holds more weight than the regular season, they get a better seed.

I can't believe that I'm promoting a UEFA style structure...but UEFA looks like a poster child of a perfect organization next to the NCAA.

Doug Hamilton RIP

Doug Hamliton, one of the pioneers of MLS dies of a heart attack while leaving Costa Rica today with the Galaxy.

One of the pioneers in the league has left us. Crew fans I talked to who follow the league were genuenly shocked as was I.

Condolences to his family and team.

Adoption stuff starting to finalize

On Friday, we readopted Savannah in Ohio. This is one of the final steps to get Savannah a full citizenship. It is very reassuring to have her name actually be Savannah, and to be even closer to being completely done with the tedious paperwork.

Once the citizen stuff is taken care of, the only remaining tasks will be post placement studies. We are very excited to be finalizing this stuff.

Savannah is really shining. She has gained almost 2 pounds and looks very "proportionate". Her hair is growing quickly and she is really taken a liking to both of us. She squeals at us when we enter the room and is excited to spend time with us.

She is not so sure about her brother though. She is starting to smile at him now. Evan of course being the super ham that he is, is always smiling at her. Savannah is very curious and is lifting the rugs in our living room to see what;s underneath.

She is lacking a bit on strenght, so she has a hard time with crawling. She can't get her hips up yet. I believe this is simply due to a lack of tummy time with the foster mommy. She is getting stronger by the day, and navigates the room by spinning and reaching. She can move around, albiet slowly, a few feet quite easily.

Well, it is almost storytime, so I should quit for now.