ON THE DL

On the DL Daily - Opening Day and Final Four

Monday morning. You smell that? That’s the smell of Opening Day.

Nick actually got to witness the sights and smells of Opening Night. We talk about the Phillies opening the season, raising the banner and promptly falling into last place. I was fortunate enough to LiveBlog along with the fine fellas at Big League Stew over at Yahoo. Thanks for letting me be a part of it...even if I did just complain the whole time.

We also discuss if Opening Night takes away some of the luster of Opening Day. Oh, and please share your favorite Opening Day stories with us.

The Weekend That Was: Marco from Storming the Floor joins the program to talk about the Final Four. We just need to give Michigan State some credit now, don’t we? If they win the title, they’ll have beaten three top seeds, which is as tough a road to the Championship as you can get. But are they the best team this

season, or just the team that figured out a way to win the Tournament (like SAT prep classes don’t make you smarter, they teach you how to take that test). Has Tom Izzo figured out a way to pass the tournament test, or are they the best team? And if North Carolina doesn’t win, will fans of the BCS (are there fans of the BCS?) feel validated?

We also spin it to the BIG EAST Conference to ask if having two teams lose in the Final Four makes Saturday the worst night in the history of the conference. Does the BIG EAST lose a little luster after having seven teams in the Big Dance -- including three one-seeds -- and none in the title game?

We touch on both Ford Field as a venue, and the actual court, wondering why the courts for the regional are so boring and terrible, but the Final Four court is awesome. And we get Marco’s prediction for tonight’s Final.

Musical Interlude...

Nick rejoins the show to give his thoughts on the Final Four and take a look at this championship game. We also tackle the ‘vocabularification’ of Clark Kellogg and wonder why Jim Nance doesn’t know where I live. If he’s my friend, as he always says at the top of the telecast, he should know where I live. Friends know where I live, Jim.

Email of the Week: I know it’s only Monday, but we got a great email over the weekend with a specific example of Colin Cowherd’s ridiculously made up arguments. So, happy we have something to back up our rants, we share with you, from David:

He did it again yesterday. I didn't hear all of the show and I am not sure what he was trying to demonstrate. He was talking about how "baseball purists" prefer "small ball" and don't like home run hitters.

A bizarre premise. Who are these "baseball purists" and why can't they appreciate both?

Nonetheless, he decides to drag St. Louis into his argument. He states that St. Louis is "the best baseball city in America" and who is the most popular player in St. Louis? Power-hitting Albert Pujols.

(I'm not sure how that proves his point.)

He then talks about Mark McGwire and how popular he was when he played in St. Louis. He stated even in a city of "baseball purists," people prefer power hitters.

I understand Colin has worked in the Southwest, the Southeast, the Northwest and the Northeast. But he hasn't worked in St. Louis. He's pretending to know more than he actually does.

Yes, Albert Pujols is very popular in St. Louis. He may be the best hitter in baseball, so it's hard to imagine why he wouldn't be popular. He's also the Cardinal who has been with the team the longest. And, yes, Mark McGwire was popular too. He was chasing a home run record that captured the country's attention.

But you know who else is popular in St. Louis? Lou Brock. Ozzie Smith. Willie McGee. Not exactly "Murderers' Row."

Good thing ESPN is ripping local radio on their new commercials in favor of this better brand of national perspective.

Housekeeping: Fun week planned. Dan Shanoff will join us on Passover Eve. Shane Bacon will join us on Passover. Something seems backwards there. And please subscribe to the show, send us your emails and tell your friends to do the same.

Thanks as always.

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