The "Dead of Winter"....Basketball, College Style

Here we are...the apex of Winter, the days that mark the coldest on average here in the Northern Hemisphere...and it appears that the next few days will be just that.  A light snow is falling as I type, my games have been canceled due to bus concerns from the visiting Kenton team.  I will have that make-up on  February 3rd...the day before we head to West Virginia for youngest son Hal, and his fiancee Lisa's wedding, in the snowy Appalachian Mountains.  After the snow ends here tonight, the bottom will drop out of thermometer, and we will see temps near Zero, with a high tomorrow about 10 above.  Cold and snow will continue through the early days of next week.

January 20th and the surrounding days, one month after winter officially begins, are by record the coldest of the season...next week, those averages will start to slowly, very slowly, climb until July 21st or so...then the warmth apex and downward slide will once again start.  Regardless, the next two months until Spring, will see an increase in average temperatures, and that is indeed welcome, despite the ups and downs.

Winter Entertainment....Basketball___

With no game to officiate last night, and my 2 favorite college basketball teams on the tube, I had my butt glued to the leather recliner, and my eyes to the tube.  Ohio State, where Sam was working the game for osu.com and The Big Ten Network, took on Iowa, and the number 1 ranked Buckeyes topped Iowa 70-48 to remain undefeated in both league and overall.  Duke, my personal favorite basketball team over the past 25 years or so, took on instate rival NC State on the road, and came away with a convincing win.  The Blue Devils, ranked #4 or #5, depending on polls, bounced back from last weekends loss at Florida State....the only blemish on their record thus far.

I really enjoy college basketball....on the other hand, you couldn't pay me to walk across the street to watch the garbage played by the "gang bangers" of the NBA.  That crap, while played by great athletes, is boring as Hell in the current form it is played.  Give me the college game, and NHL Hockey on the tube in the winter, that I can watch...NBA, don't even ask me who is in the hunt for the championship, don't know, don't care.

Even with tonight's games canceled, I still have four games on the schedule for tomorrow and Saturday.  Tomorrow night, at a WBL match up at St. Marys, then back to St. Marys Saturday morning for a Junior High double, and then north to Paulding on Saturday night for a non league contest.  In the meantime, I will wait out the snow, to see if I need to fire up the snow machines, and batten down the hatches for the cold that will follow.

back later>>>>

Photos-The look out my Jeep Wrangler windshield this morning at the melting snow and the intersection of Mill and Wayne Streets where they connect...Duke and Kyle Singler bounce back at NC State last night, and Ohio State, now number #1 defeats Iowa...there is a chance that they could meet in late March or early April with much on the line.