Nothing But Iron: Palm Summer March 21, 2008 by Steven R. Lagman, M.D., C.A.S.W. As I sit here at my computer overlooking the palm tree-protected pool at the Marriott in Palm Desert, California, it takes all the power of my imagination to envision the 8-10 inches of snow now falling on Madison. I have a deep affection for Wisconsin, but at this moment I do not envy those of you I left behind. Yesterday, as I had done the prior three days, I played tennis–outside under full exposure to the elements, primarily air and sun and a tiny wispy patch of white that might have been a cloud. No roof to limit the trajectory of inadvertent lobs hit off the frame of my racket. No artificial glow of fluorescent lights overhead. No need to change shoes, unless choosing to slip on sandals afterward. Today, resisting the temptation to overtax my middle-aged body, I rest my bones and joints for one final on-court appearance tomorrow. Reluctantly we return to the reality of a legendary winter on Sunday. NBI Reader and tennis partner, Michael "Smitty" Smith, who is also visiting from Madison, asked me if I would ever consider buying property here. I told him it’s not feasible because UW football season takes up the entire fall and basketball season the entire winter. That leaves baseball season, which is plenty long to enjoy a vacation home, but by that time it is planting season in Wisconsin. Soil quality is poor here, meaning I could only grow non-edibles like cactus and aloe vera. Say goodbye to home grown rutabagas and tomatoes? I don’t think so. On the other hand, if Nike and I can ever reach agreement on an sponsorship contract (for my new line of anesthesia shoes) that includes unlimited use of a private jet, the topic could be revisited. I did tell Smitty that I would be glad to visit him if he moves here. One of the perks of California time during March Madness is that one can wake up at 7:30, which is sleeping in Wisconsin time, have breakfast, go for a swim and be watching basketball by 9:00. We did this yesterday and will do so again today. In the evening we gathered at a sports bar with about twenty-five other Badgers fans to watch Wisconsin beat Cal State Fullerton. It was a typical Wisconsin success, pretty at times, ugly at other times–especially the turnovers–but always played with a lot of heart. The Titans game plan was obvious from the start–pressure the ball, pass occasionally, penetrate often, hit tough, well-defended shots. For awhile it worked as we sweated the embarrassing possibility of being the first significant upset of the tournament. CSF’s Josh Akognon, proved himself a player, but his 31 well-earned points were not enough, as the Badgers own game plan–attack the basket, rebound with passion and cause foul trouble–prevailed. Contrary to tradition, one of the television guys actually made an intelligent comment during the game. He said that Wisconsin’s strategy was not to play slowly, but to get good shots more often than their opponents. If a good shot happens in the first ten seconds they will take it, he explained. I add that most teams can defend for 15 or 20 seconds, so a lot of Wisconsin’s shots come in the second half of the shot clock. Finally someone in the media has figured out that Dick Bennett is retired. Amusing preview: Highlights were running as one analyst talked about UW’s style of play. At the very moment he said, "The Badgers are not flashy" they aired a reply of Jason Bohannon’s behind the back pass to Marcus Landry, who dunked it hard. Maybe the accurate phrase is: They can be flashy, but they don’t depend on it. Elsewhere in the Big Ten, which has officially been reclassified to a Mid-High Major Conference, Purdue and MSU rolled. Indiana, a severe under achiever down the stretch, gets a shot at redemption today as it plays Arkansas. Wisconsin will face an impressive Kansas State team tomorrow. What impressed me about the Wildcats was that they played like a Big Ten team, and I do mean that as a compliment. In other words, in the half that I saw, they played as a team, defended hard, rebounded well. It doesn’t hurt to have the best player in the country either, and State’s level of play hardly dropped off when Michael Beasley was out with first-half foul trouble. Beasley, a freshman, got his 27th double double and the Cats had three other players score in double figures, including 22 points from redshirt freshman, Bill Walker. Sounds a bit like Purdue, or maybe Purdue with a more athletic version of Indiana’s DJ White. Could it be that USC (K State’s first round opponent) was just that bad? The Trojans, according to a couple Pac 10 sources including brother Bruce, are an average defensive team. Nonetheless, he himself picked USC, so the likely answer is that Wisconsin will have quite a battle to advance. That figures; it’s the NCCA tournament. The formula will be the same. Challenge every shot. Work the foul count. Beat them on the offensive end with balance and patience. Sixteen turnovers may not help the cause, so I recommend fewer in this round. If any of you readers in Omaha see Bo Ryan, please pass that on in case he forgot to mention it. I suppose we have to talk about the Pride Pool. Big surprise here: I awoke to find myself in 22nd place, making my chances of winning only slightly better than Mount St. Mary’s. 22nd would be respectable if there were a thousand entrants, but there are only 28. O.K. you are not surprised at my rank and neither am I. Good news is that son Connor is tied for 3rd so at least my genetic material is well represented. In addition, it is so much easier to get your butt kicked when it is 78 degrees outside. Derek Rongstad, a mere kid, holds the top spot. Did I mention that you have to be 18 to win? I may put that in the rules for next year. Derek has a risky bracket, with Wisconsin in the Final Four and UNLV in the Elite Eight, so he will soon prove to be a child prodigy or a common ordinary guesser like me. Brother Bruce is in tenth, well within striking distance, so I can’t even taunt him, except to remind everyone that I am still taller. Peter Qualey, holds the No. 2 spot on the strength of picking almost all the higher seeds, which goes to show you what a good job the committee is doing with its seeds. Peter’s bracket gets a little more risky as the tourney progresses, most notably Duke in the F4, which may be a lot riskier than he thought. ______________ Nothing But Iron is an amateur sports column. This issue is dedicated to our friends who traveled to palm-treeless Omaha to support the Badgers, and to my beleaguered Wisconsin neighbors whose thoughts of summer are buried under yard-high snow drifts. ©2008 DrTM Enterprises. All rights reserved.