Big Apple Big-Mouths: Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Hello again, everyone, and a very Happy St. Patrick's Day to all of you! All of the Irish eyes are smiling today, because of this great holiday and the beautiful weather it has brought along. After satan himself took the form of rain and wind this past weekend, it's exactly what everyone needs.

Along with the parades and the...refreshments, most sports fans are taking St. Patrick's Day to fine-tune their March Madness brackets. The games start early tomorrow, so this is the last full day to project the championship team and the squads that make the run nobody expects. (And, the last full day to join our NY Sport Blog contest on ESPN.com! It's free, remember?? Here's the link for those who haven't joined yet and are feeling lucky: games.espn.go.com/tcmen/en/group?groupID=73426&entryID=687332)

Alright then, I think it's time for me to share my picks and how I came to some of the conclusions. I suppose I'm not supposed to reveal my selections until my bracket is submitted...but if you're a person who's going to need my insight to guide your bracket, you're in a whole world of trouble already.

I've been thinking for 45 minutes about how to do this best. You all are going to see my bracket in about 24 hours, so there's no point in repeating the whole thing here. I will just go through some methods I use to pick out this madness. There's no formula or science for me...just teams I think are good, teams I like to root for, and random thoughts/opinions from pundits on television that stay in my brain for some reason throughout the whole season. So here are the time un-tested, anything-but-foolproof, you-may-not-win-but-I-sure-hope-you-have-fun ways that Conor goes about picking his bracket. Enjoy.

Never, ever, EVER have more than two one-seeds in your final 4. Start by picking your champion. If that team is a one-seed (a wise move if you ask me--HINT ALERT!) so be it. If I want a one-seed playing them in the title game, that's fine too. But beyond that, I gotta have some stones. Unless you're affiliated with the college, seeing the big boys go out early makes it a whole lot of fun. It's fun to root for, and you're the one who's hurt the least in the bracket if you don't go all-chalk.
Go crazy on upsets, but cover them, too. If there are teams seeded in the 3-8 range who I don't see making the sweet 16, why not go ahead and have them lose in the first round? In three out of the four regions, I have a team seeded 11 or lower winning a game. As long as I'm not picking them to go on a George Mason-like run, the joy of nailing an upset outweighs the points I miss out on if it doesn't come to fruition. (NOTE: obviously, this strategy kicks up a gear if the bracket system awards bonus points for correct upsets--such as subtracting the seed numbers and awarding that many points for the pick.)
Use your gut. Mine's very large, so it's easy for me. But I can't get too caught up in the television coverage. The fact that ESPNU is running 90 straight hours of coverage makes me queasy. Those guys on TV know tons more about the teams than you or I do, but it's called March Madness for a reason. Nothing's certain. There's nothing worse than getting a hunch about a team, having pundits talk you out of it, and then getting it wrong in the end. Be your own pundit. Worst case scenario, you get it wrong. (And if you join our contest, you won't even lose any money! Totally free, remember?)

So there you go. Once tomorrow comes, I suppose my bracket will speak for itself. Hopefully those three strategies above will explain how it came to be. I don't feel great about my picks, but I never do. Hope you feel good about yours though, and best of luck in your respective pools. Should be a whole lot of fun.

Why yes, OF COURSE we're having a St. Patrick's Day edition of What About Conor Wednesday. I had a lot of avenues to choose from (Irish athletes, best beers, Irish movies) but I've decided to go with the music. It's probably the most distinct part of Irish culture. When you hear it, you know it. And today is the best day to hear it. So real quick, here are my five favorite Irish songs. Keep in mind, I'm only but 22 years old and don't exactly have the whole encyclopedia on Ireland's history of music. But it's a personal list, and inevitably it leans toward more contemporary performers. Have a listen by clicking the link...maybe you'll enjoy them, too!

5. The Wild Rover

4. The Rocky Road to Dublin

3. The Foggy Dew

2. I'll Tell Me Ma

1. Finnegan's Wake

Have a Happy, Fun, Safe St. Patrick's Day everybody. Thanks for reading!