FUN FACT FRIDAY
Since the Men’s March Madness Tournament tipped off on Thursday, I thought doing a FUN FACT about March Madness would be fun.
Did you know there hasn’t been a repeat national champion since the Florida Gators did it in 2006 and 2007? Furthermore, a team hasn’t made it to back-to-back National Championships since the Butler Bulldogs did it in 2010 and 2011 (Butler lost both games, including a heartbreaker against Duke in 2010).
March Madness: Duquesne Wins First Tournament Game in Over 50 Years
The Madness of March started early on Thursday, as the No. 11 Duquesne Dukes upset the No. 6 BYU Cougars 71-67. It’s the first NCAA tournament win by Duquesne since 1969 in the school’s first tournament appearance since 1977.
MLB: The 2024 Season Begins… in Seoul, South Korea
The official opening day for the 2024 MLB season is Thursday, March 28, however, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres had a soft opening two-game set on March 20 and 21 as part of the 2024 Seoul Series in South Korea. Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani and the Padres All-Star Ha-Seong Kim were at the forefront of this two-game set, as Kim is South Korean and Ohtani is Japanese.
In Game 1, the Dodgers defeated the Padres 5-2 on March 20
In Game 2, the Padres defeated the Dodgers 15-11 on March 21(click here to watch highlights from this crazy game)
NFL: Justin Fields is Headed from the “Windy City” to the “Steel City”
For most of the offseason, the discussion has been centered around whether or not the Chicago Bears would trade QB Justin Fields, whom they selected with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft (which was held in Cleveland). Fans and media members alike were speculating about possible destinations for Fields. The most common destination I heard for Fields was the Atlanta Falcons. I was fully convinced that Fields was going to be a Falcon.
However, Fields was traded from the “Windy City” to the “Steel City” on March 16. Fields was sent to the Steelers in exchange for a 2025 sixth-round draft pick that could become a fourth-round selection based on playing time. Fields now joins a QB room in Pittsburgh that also includes Russell Wilson. By trading Fields to Pittsburgh, it clears the way for the Bears to select QB Caleb Williams with the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Why Bears traded Justin Fields to the Steelers, what's next (Click on this link to read more)
NFL and MLB: Trouble in Kansas City?
Back in February, the Kansas City Chiefs won their second consecutive Super Bowl and their third in five years. The Kansas City Royals made it to Game 7 of the 2014 World Series, where they lost to the San Francisco Giants, and then they came back and won the World Series in 2015. Now, both teams are trying to pick up another win in the community. Jackson County residents will be voting on a 3/8th-cent sales tax which will go to both the Chiefs and the Royals during the next 40 years. Jackson County shoppers are already paying a 3/8ths cent sales tax, but that tax expires in 2031. If Jackson County residents say yes on April 2, the Royals will use the sales tax money to help build their new ballpark in the Crossroads. The Chiefs will use that money to renovate GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. “Those opposed to the bill have expressed concerns that the Chiefs’ renovations, and the Royals’ new stadium, would be detrimental to local businesses — even knocking some out of the area where the MLB team plans to build.” (Chiefs president says ‘leaving Kansas City’ is an ‘option’ amid stadium tax vote). Chiefs president Mark Donovan said that even though the team is amid a dynasty, leaving KC is still a possibility depending on how everything goes with this crucial vote.
The Royals released renderings of what their new ballpark would look like in downtown KC, while the Chiefs released renderings of what the renovations to Arrowhead would look like. But will the residents of Jackson County approve the 3/8th-cent sales tax? We’ll find out on April 2.
NFL: Aaron Donald Calls It a Career
With the 13th pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, the then-St. Louis Rams selected Aaron Donald DT out of the University of Pittsburgh. Donald played his entire career with the Rams in both St. Louis and Los Angeles (2014-2023) and he became an absolute terror for opposing offensive lines to block. Over the course of his career, Donald amassed a lot of accolades: Rookie of the Year, three-time Defensive Player of the Year (2017, 2018, and 2020), 10 Pro Bowl selections, eight first-team All-Pro selections, 111 sacks, and a Super Bowl ring in 2021. Donald is an absolute lock to get into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
"Aaron Donalds gonna make a play" | 'America's Game' ((Click on this link to watch Donald’s game-winning play In Super Bowl LVI)
Josh’s Thoughts: I Want NO PART Of The Miami Heat In The Playoffs!
Normally, this part of The SportsRoom is called “Josh’s Random Thoughts,” however, my thoughts this week are not random! As a Cleveland Cavaliers fan, I don’t want to see the Miami Heat in the playoffs this season. ABSOLUTELY NOT! After the All-Star Break, Miami starts rounding into form and Butler transforms into “Playoff Jimmy”, where he becomes a cold-blooded killer who seems to make all of the big shots and the necessary plays. On Wednesday, March 20, the Heat came into Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in downtown Cleveland and showed just how strong ‘Heat Culture’ (click here to learn about ‘Heat Culture’ really is because both teams were really banged up, but the visiting Heat made the key plays to beat the Cavaliers 107-104. Butler led everyone in scoring with 30 points.
I wrote a whole article about this titled: The One Team the Cleveland Cavaliers Must Avoid in the First Round of the playoffs. Give it a read, and you’ll see why I don’t want to see the Heat in the playoffs this season. If the playoffs were to start today, the Cavaliers, who are currently the No. 3 seed in the East, would face their Central Division rivals. the Indiana Pacers in the first round. However, the Heat are only a half-game behind the Pacers for the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference. I don’t want to play the Heat in the playoffs, so I’m really hoping the Pacers hold on to the No. 6 seed!
*Side note: I think the Heat have the best logo in the NBA and I think the Heat have a Top-5 logo in ALL of the “BIG 4” (NBA, NHL, NFL, and MLB).
*That’ll tie into the next video I post on The SportsRoom TalkShow on my YouTube channel, UngarToTheMax.
UngarToTheMax Subscriber Update
So check this out, as of Thursday, March 21, I am only 40 subscribers away from reaching 600! Moreover, I’m only 440 subscribers away from hitting the unbelievable milestone of 1,000 subscribers! To think that l’m closing in on 600 and I’m within striking distance of 1,000 subscribers truly is mind-blowing for me. I can’t thank everyone enough for helping me get to this point, I really and truly appreciate it more than you’ll ever know!