Spring seems to be somewhat here (the three feet of snow on the sidewalks notwithstanding) March Madness has came to a close with a classic game on Monday, baseball is back and playoff hockey is finally almost here in the NHL after the quick lockout shortened season.
With that it is time for the third straight week of Ruttig's Rants: Rapid Fire Edition. Let's get started:
Monday night's NCAA Men's National Championship Game was a reminder of why I love basketball.
With two teams that seemed to embrace that basketball is about brotherhood laying it all on the line for their schools and their teammates we were treated to a classic encounter that featured many players we will see in the NBA next season, but that is not what made it special.
Yes the Fab Five was there and seeing Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard and co. watch the next golden era of Michigan basketball take over finally 20 years later was a touching moment but it still doesn't take the cake.
What made it special was the shooting performances of Luke Hancock and Spike Albrecht.
Two players who come from the bottom of the recruiting ladder took over the show in the title game with both players hitting nearly every three point shot they took at the Georgia Dome.
I have been critical of the NCAA in this column and on twitter multiple times during March over them taking advantage of the players that make them billions of dollars a year in college football and basketball, especially with their handling of Kevin Ware's horrific injury, but Monday night showed that despite the business side of things the NCAA will always come back and remind you of what you love about "amateur sports"
On Tuesday the IIHF Women's World Hockey Championships took center stage as the host Canadians were upset in the final by the Americans.
This marks the second time in less than a year that the Americans have upset Canada on the IIHF stage when you look back at the USA World Junior triumph just back in January.
It is time that everyone puts the Americans in the discussion of being on the level of hockey powers such as ourselves and Russia.
With a college and national program that churns out hungry and skilled players for their international play the Americans seem finally here to stay after years of hit and miss success on the world stage.
Further hockey notes, how excited is everyone for playoff hockey in the NHL? After a long layoff due to the lockout we are well under a month away from dropping the puck on the first round. With the potential of a Leafs/Habs first round matchup that would see the two teams meet in the playoffs for the first time most young adults lifetime and the Winnipeg Jets, Edmonton Oilers, Ottawa Senators and Vancouver Canucks all still very much alive in the playoff hunt it could be a very entertaining year of playoff hockey.
Also going on in an absolutely loaded week of sports are the Champions League Quarterfinal Second Legs.
I know soccer may not be the cup of tea of many of my readers but the afternoon start times and the beauty of the game combined with the passion of the club supporters make it a must watch for me.
With Turkish side Galatasaray's pageantry before hosting Spanish giants Real Madrid nearly spurring a comeback and Borussia Dortmund scoring two goals in the final 90th minute to advance to the semifinals against Spanish side Malaga the tournament has once again shown that it is a must watch nearly every Tuesday/Wednesday it is on.
Breathtaking goals and a world class atmosphere in the stands, it is hard not to love.
Lastly it wouldn't be a column without writing about the Toronto Blue Jays recent struggles.
After attempting to be the voice of reason in last week's column I must admit it might be time to worry at the SkyDome.
With the Jays offseason acquisitions in the rotation getting shelled nearly every outing it might just be that the Jays fell into the trap of buying players that didn't work out for the Miami Marlins last season for a reason.
R.A. Dickey is getting lit up by batters in every outing and it looks like his knuckleball may not be dancing enough these days to have an effective season in the much tougher American League East after coming to the Mets.
With millions of dollars and countless prospects used to drive up wins and TV ratings under this new crop of players who are supposed to take the Jays to the promised land Rogers took a risk.
With so much money tied up in veteran players and the payoff being more fans in the seats and more people tuning into Sportsnet to follow the Jays a huge gamble has been made.
If the Jays don't win and fans don't come Rogers ownership group will be faced with the difficult decision to either blow the team up all over again or pump more money into the ballclub, it can be a guarantee that Toronto won't go out and support an expensive loser, so the Jays best option would be to turn it around soon.
Anything can happen over a long season, but so far it isn't good.
