My fearless forecasts for today and Friday in Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament:

- I see Washington as the Cinderella story that doesn't have its glass slipper shattered. Washington has won nine in a row, and has two key components that work well in the NCAA tourney - an excellent point guard in Isaiah Thomas, and a tough, veteran forward in senior Quincy Pondexter. The Pac-10 got ripped on all year, but it wasn't really that bad.
Yes, I see the Huskies beating West Virginia today.

My other picks today and tommorrow:
Kentucky over Cornell (no-brainer).
Syracuse over Butler (Butler has been living on borrowed time).
Kansas State over Xavier (Frank Martin is the meanest-looking man I have ever seen)
Purdue over Duke (Purdue has bonded under difficult circumstances).
Ohio State over Tennessee (Evan Turner is the best player in the country).
Michigan State over Northern Iowa (But it will be very close...)
Saint Mary's over Baylor (Saint Mary's is far better than its 10th seed indicates)

Random Thoughts

- It's hardly a conincidence the Red Wings are playing better now that Henrik Zetterberg is playing better.

- It's a shame about Doc Gooden. At his best, he was the most talented pitcher I've ever seen. Better than Nolan Ryan, better than Roger Clemens, better than Pedro Martinez, better than Jose Lima.
Ah, just kidding about Jose Lima thing.

- I don't know, honestly, as it stands alone, whether Michigan football coach Rich Rodriguez being involved as part of a lawsuit for not repaying a $1 million loan in Alabama is that big a deal in the minds of Michigan's faithful.
But it hasn't been just one thing with Rodriguez. It's the gathering of issues, compared to his lack of accomplishments, since he arrived in Ann Arbor that is so troubling. It's been one issue after another. Just another headline sent out across the world making the university look bad.

My Column in Thursday's Oakland Press on why the Lions should not sign Pac Man Jones: http://tinyurl.com/yefzhus