Tonight's the Night

In my sports journalism class we constantly speak of the ever-evolving industry and convergence. If you asked the average ten-year-old what a newspaper was, they'd probably respond, "We use it when the toilet paper runs out."

When I took Dr. Lieb's Writing for New Media class for the first time (long story), he emphasized how big of a role blogging would eventually end up playing with the media.

That was three years ago, and it gave me an outlet to voice my opinions on my own terms. While I haven't been super consistent over the last three years (I haven't even hit my 100th post yet), I think just writing about basketball in general has made me feel closer to the game. But, metaphorically at least, I'm still in the nosebleeds, waiting for that consistent press pass, hence the blog title.

Anyway, long story short, how we report as citizen journalists has evolved quite a bit, and as indication of how far technology has come, I'm going to attempt a running diary of the title game tonight between the Tar Heels and Spartans from my new phone.

Yes, my phone.

Uncle Sam treated me fairly well on my tax return, which I guess happens when you can claim a child and some tuition (warning kids: do NOT try that at home). So, after paying off some of my bills, I decided to get a Sidekick from T-Mobile. Although I originally wanted their G-1, my main requirement was a QWERTY keyboard so that I could 1) text easier , 2) e-mail easier, and 3) blog easier. So far, so easy. Now, if only I had the fingers of a G.I. Joe action figure...

But, back to the game. Despite the fact that 92% of participators in ESPN's Streak for the Cash contest feel that North Carolina will emerge victorious, I happen to think that this will be a competitive game for two reasons. First, despite his relative ineffectiveness in the win against Connecticut Saturday, the Spartans are a much better team with Goran Suton, who missed the last meeting with UNC due to injury. He's a big guy who can stroke it from the perimeter and bang inside on the glass. Second, like Saturday's games, tonight's contest will be played at Ford Field, and if you think that's an irrelevant variable, then you obviously didn't watch the game over the weekend. Over 72,000 fans, a record for a Final Four game, witnessed the MSU/UConn game, and I'd be willing to bet 50,000 of them were cheering for the Spartans.

Despite taking those two factors into consideration, Carolina has looked unstoppable throughout the tournament. Their big three--Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington--have proven to be impossible to guard, especially Ellington, who might as well have still been in shootaround with all the easy looks he was getting against a hard-nosed Villanova team. Add to that the fact that Danny Green has found his game after taking the last two weeks of the ACC regular season off, and the Tar Heels will just be too much for Michigan State. I see UNC winning this game by ten or more, just like they have throughout the tournament.

See you guys in about an hour and a half.