Heartbreak in Detroit

North Carolina Tar Heels are the 2009 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Champions!

The final, 89-72. And for at least 50,000 of the record 72,922 in attendance at Ford Field in Detroit, it's heartbreak city. In East Lansing, the Michigan State sign has been removed, and replaced by just "Michigan". Welcome, Wolverines to East Lansing. As for the Spartans...well, at least their namesakes did give Athens a hard time. But like ancient Sparta, it lost to Athens eventually. If Thucydides were alive to see the 2009 version, only substitute Chapel Hill, North Carolina for Athens.

Ty Lawson, 21 points. Wayne Ellington, 19 points. Tyler Hansbrough, 18 points. Shutting down a pretty good Michigan State. But "pretty good" won't cut it when the game- and the National Championship- is on the line. And Michigan State just couldn't shut down Hansbrough; Lawson; and Ellington. Fouls and turnovers really killed the Spartans on what is practically the home court. Even if home is 92 miles away in East Lansing.

Sure, North Carolina was expected to win, and the Tar Heels played like their lives had depended on this game, and in a sense, it did. Michigan State chipped away, yes, but they just couldn't get close enough to make any difference.
So, congratulations to the North Carolina Tar Heels on their 2009 win.

As for dealing with my friend Patty...let's just say that I'd better enjoy Tuesday.





JJ2006Ice/YouTube

That really hurts.

(C) 2009 by Darren W. Alexander
All Rights Reserved.