Let there be no cheers for Rob Portman.

Before trying to justify my picks, a confession might be in order.

There was more anticipation than anxiety in the players' lounge on this particular Selection Sunday at Michigan. Nobody sweated whether they would hear Greg Gumbel announcing the Wolverines' name on a bracket as the CBS broadcast dwindled down to its final minutes. They knew long ago they would dance.

SAN FRANCISCO - All things being equal . . .

In its role as one of America's favorite lightning rods, the NCAA Tournament's selection committee is getting more than a few conspiratorial looks not for its seedings but for some of its placements.

Could it happen again? Could your retirement plans end up in shambles, and your college savings tattered?

"Make me wanna holler, way they do my life." - Marvin Gaye, "Inner City Blues"

Brandon Knight might feel a little better now, thanks to Keith Appling.

It's soooooo tempting to start this column with a joke about the first class-action lawsuit on behalf of zombies. But there's nothing really very funny about the fact that a Minnesota funeral home owner is having to sue his own state government for the right to keep prices low.

Perhaps you remember when Dr. Doom conquered the world.

The Chicago Blackhawks were the big story as the NHL reached the halfway point of its lockout-shortened schedule, but many other excellent performances deserve recognition. Here are some.

A quick inventory as South Florida plows forward through its all-round busiest sports month:

It's not just a women's issue.

STILLWATER, Okla. - Bruce Weber left this place without a smile. How could he smile? He left miserable. Frustrated. Angry. His Kansas State basketball team lost its most important game of the season here, so hope had no place in his heart.