"OUTTA PRINT"

Due to the economic crisis were living in, the once heralded print edition of many national newspapers across many regions of the US are shutting down completely or moving their editions to online-only subscriptions. With cash-strapped consumers cutting out luxury items in their increasingly diminishing budgets, newspaper prints are losing profit margins and are slashing jobs, and now in many cases, ceasing publication on many or all days and either transferring to an Internet-only subscription or just shutting down all-together. This is one of the many tragedies of the crisis, and one that is being overlooked by the mainstream media; unfairly so since these are such a huge part of American culture as we see it. For many, the consistency and tradition of reading the morning paper is embedded within our lives; not a neccessity by trait but a tradition by choice. While news is obviously and undeniably much more viable and effective via the Internet or cable news networks, the detail and care provided in a newspaper, be it a local tribune or a national publication, is something that is irreplaceable in this society. The care that writers, journalists and editors put in to bring you the stories as accurately and unbiased as possible is something many of us readers cherish. While these characteristics may carry over to the online world, there is just some intangible aura about indulging in a daily print edition. Whether this is just an overrated American tradition or not is a matter of opinion, but the fact that an important cornerstone industry of American culture is slowly dying away is one of the many sad storylines that has come to fruition during this unique downturn. So while major papers such as the Rocky Mountain News, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Ann Arbor News and others collapse under the weight of unsustainable revenues and turn to the internet for survival, the one dismal question that remains is: who's next?

March Madness in more ways than one...

While March Madness begins tonight with the play-in game between Alabama St. and Morehead St., many are filling out their brackets, including myself which I just finished, and are trying to figure out their Final Four and tourney champ. Of all the years I have been filling them out, this year I felt was the hardest yet. The reason being is that there were no clear elite teams this season. While the Big East was by far the strongest conference, Louisville lost to WKU and Pitt faltered against Providence and in the first round of the conference tourney against WVU. If their is one year that a 1 seed will finally be upset by a 16 seed, this is the year for it happen. While this madness is getting ready to begin, the tournament committee once again had to deal with the madness of choosing who got in and who didnt to the 65 team tourney. While I feel the committee has gotten better and better each year in attempting to accurately select the best 65 teams, there are still nagging issues about the process. First and foremost, I appreciate the tourney director coming out and saying it is about a team's entire body of work throughout the season, not just the end of the regular season and the conference tournament. It means that the beginning matters just as much as the end and that your non-conference scheduling matters as well(one of the ultimate demises of PSU not getting invited). The problem I have with this though is that the winner of every conference tournament automatically gets a bid to the national tournament, regardless of their "body of work" or any other factors. From the MEAC to the SEC, the winners of the conference tournaments get an invite, all 31 of them. This certainly does not represent the committee's ideal of a complete body of work gets you in. Point and case, Baylor. Entering the Big 12 conference tournament(which all teams make by the way, no one is excluded from the conference of tournament, regardless of record), Baylor had an overall record of 17-14, and a dismal 2-11 conference record, putting them at the bottom of the Big 12. 3 wins later, 2 of them versus a struggling Nebraska and faltering Texas and one shocker vs. Kansas, Baylor found themselves in the conference final versus Mizzou, where if they would have won that game, they would have received an automatic bid to the national tourney. Now, I understand Baylor had a good run in the conference tourney and knocked off Kansas, but are you going to tell me they deserve a tourney slot based on their entire body of work. Even AFTER their improbable conference tourney run, they were only an average 20-14 overall, and still a very poor 5-11 within the conference. This also happened with the SEC where a generally average Miss. St. won the SEC and got an automatic bid, a team that would have certainly not been in the tourney if it wasnt for winning their conference tourney. This is not at all a fair and equitable process if you are using a team's entire season/body of work. In fact, it is ultracounter-intuitive in my opinion. The solution: eliminate conference tournaments. They serve no purpose other than for entertainment value. While it does allow some bubble teams a chance to gain ground in the committee's eyes, it should only be used as a small portion of the metrics used to gauge who is in and who is out. A better solution which would be more satisfying to all parties would to be eliminate the automatic bid for conference tournament winners, but still play the conference tournament. While some teams and fans may find this worthless, it gives more equity to all teams vying for seeds, from the #1 seeds to the bubbles such as Saint Mary's and PSU. If you are going to say that the criterium for getting into the NCAA tournament is a team's entire body of work throughout the season, from the non-conference schedule in November right up through March, then you can't allow the winner of a short conference tournament to receive an automatic bid. We're getting closer to getting it right. Maybe next year. Enjoy the madness.

the end of the road for TT.

And the journey finally ends. With a 54-39 loss to Marion Center in the consolation game, Westy has been stopped one game short of the state playoffs and eliminated from contention. With 2 starters out with injuries, it was a short bench and a lack of cohesion as the offense never got going enough to outscore MC. This will go down as a game of "what ifs", as in if both injured starters were able to play, I feel this would have been a win for WH. Marion Center was by no means a high powered or potent offense, and Westmont actually did a good job of shutting them down on defense in the 1st half, as depleted as they were. With only essentially one substitute, the Westy players wore out in the second half and MC poured on the scoring. It was a sad way to end the season for the seniors, especially for the injured #15, whose last game ever was watching from the bench. But these things happen in sports, and while it is ironically upsetting to end their careers this way, its part of the game, as unfortunate as it may be. Again, the story of the game, though not at their full strengh, was still the offensive turnovers and defensive rebounds. When you give up 2nd, 3rd, and 4th chances on the defensive glass, you are bound to get frustrated and start taking fouls, which they did, which ultimately led to free points essentially for MC, increasing their lead. This incessant fouling also led to the foulout of 2 of Westy's starters, all but flaming out their chances of coming back. Also, when you are given opportunities to score and gain momentum, turnovers are something that simply cannot happen, especially in such a crucial game. A lack of mental focus and discipline persisted over from the last game and assisted MC in getting the win. The simple mistakes once again led to their demise, mistakes that they can control. While it is sad and disappointing, the players have alot to be proud of. Nobody this year expected them to be any better then around .500, let alone be one game away from the state playoffs. As for the seniors, the triple threat, what else can I say? They are incredible and had an amazing 4 years, transforming from insignificant freshman to extremely talented players and the core leaders for this team. It was fun to watch my friends over the years mature as players, and as girls. I'm proud of what theyve accomplished, and so is everyone else. Now, they move on to bigger and better life experiences. Next stop: college, hah. Next stop for me: spring break in Puerto Rico, hopefully I make it home in one piece. Until then, peaceee out.

STATE PATTYS WEEKEND

Well, st. pattys weekend has come and gone. There were barhops, carbombs, and seas of green shirts for 48 hours in downtown state college. Not surprisingly, few incidents arose. The administration feels that an unsanctioned student holiday is not in the best interest of the university or its students. While I agree it may not look the best, I stand behind our student body. SOS organizes the event many months in advance and gets many local bars, taverns, clubs, restaurants, and shops to coordinate their efforts to help make the weekend a success for everyone. The administration is too worried that it reflects badly on us. Well, I say it doesnt. It is a good way for alumni and students to come together of all generations and celebrate a holiday that is unique to PSU, one of the many reasons this is a great college. We hold the one and only SPD. While it is basically an excuse to drink, it is formally planned out, helps the local economy, and goes off with few incidents of consequence. While I understand's the administration's timidness in supporting this student-run holiday, I think they need to understand that our freedom to plan something of this nature shows our true passion for creativity and individualism. WE ARE.....PENN STATE.