Scribbler's 2-for-1 Special: NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championships

Although no team has received more attention in my 36 years of life than that team who wears burgundy and gold and plays in Landover, I used to be a bigger fan of NCAA Men's Division I Basketball during the 80s and 90s than the NFL.  Heck, I was even more willing to watch regular season games in college basketball than the NBA because between the energy of the crowds, the brewing rivalries between schools and the hunger and raw talent of the players, college hoops have always been a little more exciting.  Although the Georgetown Hoyas, the Maryland Terrapins and the Michigan Wolverines have always been my top three teams, respectively, there have always been "prisoner of the moment" teams on my list like the 1989-90 UNLV Running Rebels with Larry Johnson, Stacey Augmon, George Ackles and Greg Anthony; or even the 1990-91 Duke Blue Devils with Christian Laettner, Bobby Hurley and Grant Hill--who amazed me just being able to play ball with that hideously obstructive face mask after suffering a broken nose in a loss to Virginia.  So when March Madness would roll around, it was pretty much "don't even look at me and think we're going to have a meaningful conversation" time.  So in honor of the upcoming title game next Monday, I've decided to do a "Rave & Favorite Five" of the the most memorable and/or most personal championship games in my lifetime.  Oh, and it happens to be the "11th Hour Post of the Week", too, so you're welcome once again...

Scribbler's Black History Milestones: The Wide World of Sports

So I have a confession to make: in the past five years or so, I have not celebrated Black History Month in the way that I grew accustomed to doing when I was a child, teenager and young adult.  Maybe I've had a few self-righteous moments of feeling like Black history should be celebrated all year long.  Then again, maybe I was just too lazy to uncover more pivotal moments in our historical landscape.  Thus, one of the two ways that I have decided to commemorate Black History Month this year is to celebrate several people and/or events in different areas of our society that not only display the heritage of our people, but also provide a little more depth to the American narrative. After watching quite a few documentaries in the past week or so, I was inspired to begin this series in one of my favorite areas of discussion: sports.