Bonds and March Madness

Barry Bonds is in the center of the news - again - after his double-talk the previous week.

Bonds said to one publication that 2006 was going to be his last season because "he was tired of the crap." Later that same day, he intimated that he would play in 2007 if he's physically able.

Which is it Barry? It certainly would be nice if the Giants knew, sooner rather than later, so they can get into the trade and free-agent market accordingly.

ESPN ran a poll recently, asking fans if they wanted Bonds to break Henry Aaron's homer mark. A resounding 72 percent of the fans voted no. Given Bonds' surly behavior over the years, I don't blame the fans one bit.

I think the fans and the media have grown tired of Bonds' constant whining and attempted manipulation of the press. Bonds will undoubtedly break Babe Ruth's record this year, and I believe he could break Aaron's record if he plays in 2007. Breaking the record should be great cause for celebration, but with the alleged setroid allegation still hanging over his head like a black cloud, I doubt that Major League Baseball is in any hurry to celebrate any record Bonds sets.

Bonds has been surly with the media ever since his days in Pittsburgh. The media will all agree that Bonds is one of, if not the greatest, hitter ever to play the game. However, he gets low scores because of his dealings with the media and fans in general. When is the last time you saw Bonds sign an autograph before or after a game? Bonds can't be bothered.

Retire now Barry. Sure I'll miss watching the towering homers, but your attitude everybody can live without.

MARCH MADNESS COMING SOON

I don't pretend to know all the ins and outs of college basketball, but like anybody else, I have my thoughts on who should and shouldn't be in the NCAA Tournament, and in parenthesis how many bids each conference should get.

By conference, here are my selections. One thing to keep in mind, things will change if a regular-season conference champ gets beat in the conference tournament.

America East (1) - Albany; Atlantic 10 (3) - George Washington, UNC-Charlotte, Xavier; ACC (5) - Duke, North Carolina State, Boston College, North Carolina, Florida State; Atlantic Sun (1) - Lipscomb or the post-season tournament winner; Big 12 (4) - Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Colorado; Big East (7) - Villanova, UConn, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Georgetown, Seton Hall and Marquette; Big Sky (1) - Northern Arizona or Montana.

Big South (1) - Birmingham Southern or Winthrop; Big Ten (6) - Iowa, Illinois, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Michigan State and Michigan; Big West (1) - UOP or UC Irvine; Colonial Athletic Association (2) - George Mason, Hofstra; Conference USA (3) - Memphis State, UTEP and UAB; Horizon League (1) - University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; Ivy League (1) - Penn.

Metro Atlantic (1) - Iona; Mid-American (2) - Akron, Kent State; Mid-Continent (1) - IUPUI; Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (1) - Delaware State; Missouri Valley Conference (3) - Wichita State, Northern Iowa, Creighton; Mountain West (1) - San Diego State or Air Force; Northeast Conference (1) - Fairleigh Dickinson or post-season winner.

Ohio Valley Conference (1) - Murray State; Pac-10 (4) - UCLA, Cal, Washington, Arizona; Patriot League (2) - Bucknell, Lehigh; SEC (4) - Tennessee, Florida, LSU, Kentucky; Southern Conference (1) - Georgia Southern or post-season winner; Southland Conference (1) - Northwest State or Sam Houston State; SWAC (1) - Southern or post-season winner; Sun Belt (1) - Western Kentucky; WCC (1) - Gonzaga; WAC (2) - Nevada, Utah State.

As you can see, there were a lot of big-name teams left out of the mix. No doubt, there are going to be many unhappy teams and conferences come Selection Sunday. Being a selction committee member is no easy task.