Sarasota was the sports capital of the world on May 12th. It was a special night as as we raised over $3.1 million for pediatric cancer research at the Dickie V. gala.

Over 870 people were in attendance at the Ritz-Carlton in Sarasota as the Jimmy V Foundation was the beneficiary of major generosity.

We honored Notre Dame football coach Brian Kelly, West Virginia basketball coach Bob Huggins, and ESPN’s Chris Berman, who was unable to attend following he tragic passing of his wife, Kathy.

The sports world was well represented. Everywhere you turned, there was another celebrity and I cannot thank them enough for their support.

College football had Kelly, Ohio State coach Urban Meyer and former Georgia coach Vince Dooley. There were many former Notre Dame players in attendance, including Ron Pawlus, Autry Denson, Willie Clark and Marc Edwards to name a few.

College basketball’s coaching fratenity came out big time. Besides Huggins, there was South Carolina’s Frank Martin, Notre Dame’s Mike Brey, Georgia Tech’s Josh Pastne, Memphis coach Tubby Smith, Miami’s Jim Larranaga, Floride State’s Leonard Hamilton, Florida’s Mike White and former Indiana coach Tom Crean.

The NBA had former Cavaliers star Austin Carr and former coaches Mike Fratello and Richie Adubato.

The real stars of the night were the young boys and girls that have fought hard against the dreaded disease. I introduced my All-Courageous team. These youngsters have proven that the dollars work to help.

We also gave special grants in the name of my buddy, former ESPN announcer John Saunders. His daughters Jenna and Aliyah came on-stage and accepted the grants.

In the 12 years of the Dickie V. gala, we have now raised over $21 million. My friends, it is not enough. We have to keep fighting to beat the disease that affects so many lives.I will work hard until my last breath on earth, begging and pleading for support. Only four cents of every dollar for cancer research goes to pediatrics and there is something very wrong with that.

Kids should be able to go play outside instead of suffering through tough times.

We will keep going. Next year, we will honor Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh, ESPN’s Mike Grenberg and Florida State’s Hamilton.

 

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King James and the Cavaliers swept the Raptors. That was vital for Cleveland as they get some rest before facing the Celtics-Wizards winner in the Eastern Conference final

Toronto was shorthanded with Kyle Lowery injured. The Cavs looked much better on defense the last few games. This was a one-sided series compared to the competitive series vs. the Pacers.

Kyrie Irving was a major factor too. Cleveland looks like it can make it to the NBA Finals again the way they are playing.

The NFL draft was exciting for the fans and players alike. Philadelphia looked like a great city to host it

I was impressed by a number of teams. The Browns helped their cause with Myles Garrett and Deshone Kizer leading the way. Seattle traded down to add a number of picks and helped their secondary. Arizona and Tampa Bay made several nice picks.

There were some surprises. The NFL could have sent a message by not drafting Joe Mixon after his off-field problem. The Bengals went for the Oklahoma running back.

It will take some time to evaluate the draft.

The NFL draft is this week. The future of 32 NFL teams and a lot of young men will change overnight

Will Texas A&M’s Myles Garrett go first to the Browns. Will Cleveland surprise people and go with a quarterback.

There are a lot of talented players available. Will we see teams trade up or deal down in the first round?

It should be exciting to watch.

I had a great time speaking at the Fellowship of Christian Athletes banquet in Branson Missouri. We stayed at a beautiful resort the Chateau Lake Resort an absolute first class hotel. The banquet was first class in every way. I can’t thank Brian Mitchell who is the executive director of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in south central Missouri for his incredible hospitality. Brian has a terrific sense of passion and pride in teaching people how to develop values that are vital to making it in the greatest game of all, the Game Of Life.

I enjoyed being their keynote speaker and the crowd was a very delight to address. Gathered were many outstanding student athletes who are more then just athletic, but really have a firm foundation with terrific moral views and values.

It was a night my wife and I will always treasure, as it was filled with many golden memories.

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LeBron James, I mean King James, willed the Cavaliers past the Pacers by one point. Kawhi Leonard scored 32 points in San Antonio’s big win over Memphis. John Wall had a solid effort in a victory over Atlanta. The Greek Freak led the Bucks past the Raptors. Joe Johnson had the winning hoop as the Jazz stunned the Clippers. Draymond Green’s all-around game was vital for the Warriors.

This is the time of season where the stars come through.

I was absolutely thrilled beyond belief to be honored by the Athletes for a Better World event. It was an incredible event. Famed journalist for the Boston Globe, Bob Ryan did a fantastic job and I can’t thank him enough for his kind words introducing me. It was really special to be the recipient of the John Wooden Citizen Cup Award.

The banquet honored outstanding student athletes. It was night filled with great memories as my wife and I shared our time with Lovie Smith and Vince Dooley. The night was filled with lots of emotion as many of these youngsters honor had to battle big time odds to get to the top of the class. A night I will always treasure!

It was a special night to have my name identified with Coach John Wooden. Previous winners of the award are a who’s who of sports, like Peter Manning, Calvin Ripken, Pat Summitt. To be on the list with those honorees, gives me goose bumps.

A special thanks to all the people to the Athletes for a Better World.

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Congratulations to North Carolina on winning the national championship. It was a physical battle with a lot of whistles, but the Tar Heels got to the winner’s circle, 71-65 ove Gonzaga.

Joel Berry scored 22 points and was named Most Outstanding Player. Isaiah Hicks came up with a big basket late and Justin Jackson’s dunk helped put it away. North Carolina won despite shooting four-of-27 from three-point range.

The Zags lost for just the second time all season. Mark Few’s team can be proud of its accomplishments this season. Nigel Williams-Goss and company battled to the very end but fell short.

Roy Williams joined select company with his third NCAA championship. Names like Wooden, Coach K, Rupp, Knight, Calhoun are in that class with three or more championships.

It wasa great college hoop season and the VBDI (Vitale Bald Dome Index) picked UNC over Gonzaga before the tournament started.

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The Final Four is always so special. I keep very busy during the weekend, between television commitments on SportsCenter, calling a semifinal and the championship game on ESPN International, plus appearances for several companies.

On Friday, I had a great time at an autograph signing for The Rock. I also spoke for Coke and Allstate. My day started with SportsCenter from the set in University of Phoenix stadium, overlooking the court.

I love the passion of the fans on this weekend. I have met so many of them already. All four schools here are well-represented by their fan bases.

It will be another fun-filled Final Four weekend.

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March Madness has given us a clear path to Arizona, baby! The Final Four is all set.

Gonzaga sent a message to the naysayers who claimed that their WCC schedule did not prepare them for the NCAA tournament. The Zags beat Florida, Iowa State, Arizona and Saint Mary’s three times and that was impressive enough for me. Mark Few is finally in the Final Four and this team is not finished making noise.

Few has done a great job blending in transfers to form a cohesive unit. Nigel Williams-Goss from Washington, Jordan Matthews from California and Jonathan Williams from Missouri have been part of Transfer U.

Oregon lost shot-blocker Chris Boucher to a late-season injury and many experts thought the Ducks would fall apart. Dana Altman’s team proved it could play, beating Kansas in Kansas City to reach the Final Four. Jordan Bell was a shot-blocker and double-double guy. Tyler Dorsey had seven straight games with 20 or more points. Dillon Brooks has performed well

inside and outside. The defense held the Jayhawks to 1-for-15 on three-pointers in the second half of the regional final.

South Carolina may be the true Cinderella as a 7th seed in the Final Four. Frank Martin’s team has improved its offense in the NCAA tournament and came through down the stretch in the East regional final against Florida. The Gators did not make a single three-pointer in the second half of that contest and the Gamecocks continue their tenacious defense.

Sindarius Thornwell continues to show why he is so vital. The SEC Player of the Year puts up big numbers in leading the Gamecocks.

Few, Altman and Martin are coaching in their first Final Four. The fourth participant, Roy Williams, has cut down the nets as a national champion before. His Tar Heels edged Kentucky in the South regional final in Memphis.

Luke Maye has become an unsung hero for the Tar Heels. He hit the winning shot against the Wildcats. Justin Jackson and Joel Berry are one of the best backcourts in college basketball and they want to make up fror last season’s last-second loss to Villanova in the national title game.

How many people would have thought the ACC would have just one team (UNC) in the Sweet 16? The conference was the best one n the sport this season. Louisville, Virginia, Notre Dame, Florida State and Duke all lost in the second round.

The Big Ten (Michigan, Purdue and Wisconsin), SEC (Kentucky, Florida and South Carolina), Big 12 (Kansas, West Virginia and Baylor) and the Pac-12 (Oregon, Arizona and UCLA) each have three teams in the Sweet 16.

Xavier, even without injured Edmund Sumner, has impressed with wins over Maryland and Florida State. Trevon Blueitt has been solid for Chris Mack’s team.

Gonzaga has advanced to the Sweet 16. Two more wins and the Zags will make their first Final Four.

I had a very busy week, going from Florida to Nashville, then to New York for the Allstate media tour. I did six hours of interviews on the big dance, with organizations like CNN, Fox and Friends, The Sporting News and others.

Then it was off to Las Vegas for the ESPN Bracket marathon. I loved being on with Brent Musburger, Sean Farnham and Adam Amin.

I also got to speak before a great crowd at The Venetian, speaking for Aetna Insurance.

What a wild week it has been.

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Today I was able to call the SEC Championship between Kentucky and Arkansas. The Big Blue Nation fans have to be excited as their Wildcats are going into March Madness with an eleven game winning streak. John Calipari, coach of the Wildcats, has to be extremely pleased as his team has gotten better and better as the season progresses. Calipari’s Kentucky team will be a threat in the NCA tournament because they are now getting contributions from their veteran players helping out their young Diaper Dandies.

The Wildcats player De’Aaron was the star of the tournament, he was the most valuable player as he was brilliant making winning play after winning play throughout the entire tournament. Its been a fun journey here at Music City Nashville and the Kentucky Wildcats lead with their third consecutive SEC.

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Last Friday night, we had a special evening at the Mercedes of Sarasota showroom, benefiting the V Foundation.

We had celebrities in attendance: auto race driver and Indy 500 winner Ryan Hunter-Reay. Orioles outfielder Adam Jones was there. Bucs president Brian Ford and defensive tackle Clinton McDonald joined us. Florida Gulf Coast assistant coach Tom Abatemarco was also there.

The event was catered by Main Events and Capital Grille. A special thanks to Ernie of Mercedes for helping put on such a wonderful event raising funds for cancer research. We had a number of courageous young boys and girls there, winners in the game of life as they have battled cancer.

It was an emotional evening.

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March Madness is in full swing, baby!

I am excited to be calling the Gonzaga-Santa Clara WCC semifinal, and then the league title game. Then it is ff to the SEC tournament.

We have punched several tickets to the big dance. Congrats to Jacksonville State, Florida Gulf Coast, Wichita State and Winthrop. The whole field will be set next weekend.

March Madness will be special as this year’s tournament will be great.

Senior night is so special in college basketball. It is emotional to see players taking the court for the final time.

Cameron Indoor Stadium is one of my favorite places to call a game, right up there with Allen Field House in Kansas and Rupp Arena in Kentucky. Cameron is to college basketball what Fenway Park and Wrigley Field are to baseball.

I had the opportunity to see Duke's senior night on Tuesday against Florida State. Amile Jefferson, Matt Jones and reserve Nick Pagliuca completed their careers with the Blue Devils.

I had special guests join me for the game, including Orioles outfielder Adam Jones and Mike Valdes, a long-time supporter of the V Foundation.

  

This is an exciting time of the college basketball season. Championship Week will help determine champions in a lot of one-bid leagues. Teams striving to make the big dance will get their shot.

It is also time for bubble teams to improve their resumes. There are a number of teams that will be sweating until Selection Sunday. They can finish well and improve their stock, or make some noise in conference tournaments.

This will lead to one of the greatest roads to the Final Four ever. There are a number of teams capable of cutting down the nets in Arizona in April.

 

We are less than a month away from Selection Sunday, and this year's Committee seeding the field of 68 will have several difficult tasks.  There are so many teams on the bubble that have pretty even resumes. There are big wins, suspect losses and tough decisions ahead. I believe championship week will help clear some of these things up.

Another factor is going to be injuries. A number of teams that could be in the field have been hampered by injuries. Earlier performances and success may be overshadowed by key players lost for the season. How will the committee evaluate the potential of a team which is without a key star.

Here are some examples from the weekend:

I saw an injury firsthand as Georgia's Yante Maten suffered a knee sprain early in the game against Kentucky. Georgia was on the outside looking in, but losing the third-leading scorer in the SEC is a major setback. The Bulldogs fought hard but fell short to Big Blue. JJ Frazier with 26 points was brilliant in defeat for Georgia.

Michigan State, which has been plagued by injuries all season, suffered a blow when Eron Harris was injured. He required season-ending knee surgery. The Spartans were a bubble team and the committee will have to evaluate Michigan State without a starting guard.

Injuries are a part of the game.