March 17, 2008 (Mark Buman sitting in for Eric Truyman)

First and foremost, I would like to send my condolences to Eric Truyman and his family in light of the news that he will not be participating in this year’s Big Dance. With Truyman absent, I will be taking over the “Truyman Doctrine” for this tournament. The best way to commemorate Troutman is to pong our hearts out and leave it all out on the table at this year’s March Madness - The Big Dance. Without further ado, I give you the first ever, and hopefully last, “Buman Doctrine”.
Let’s start out with a rundown of the seeds for this year’s tourney:
#1 Brad Tollefson & Dan Genke#2 Kyle Cornelius & Mark Buman#3 Jayke Moeller & Kev VDL#4 Joe Leiterman & Robert Castillo#5 Mike Mullen & Greg Vande Voort#6 A.J. Krull & Jordan Lile#7 Ryan Blohm & Jamie Goffard#8 Noell Vanden Heuvel & Katy Buman
I must say, this field reminds a lot of the less touted and lower exposure NCAA tournament that is also beginning this week. The number 1 seed of Brad and Dan are your North Carolina. A traditional powerhouse with a quick strike offense. Brad will be running the point and Dan will provide a presence inside at the pong tables. The duo has compiled the winningest record in the past year with an impressive 19-8 record at the past three tournaments. These guys are more of a lock to make the final four than Tuzy is to puke during a case race.
Coming in at a number 2 seed we have myself and Kyle Cornelius, representing Duke. We are both long time rivals of Tolly and Genke, and live just down Tobacco Road, errr Highway 54, from our hated foes. We are strong contenders to make the final four but we can’t pronounce our coach’s last name...Kru-zew-skee?... but he’s too busy filming American Express commercials to notice anyways.
Jayke Moeller and Kev VDL come into the tournament garnering a number 3 seed. They remind me of the Xavier Musketeers. They’ve been in the tourney for countless years and have both been very close to breaking through. They are on the verge of greatness and this may be their year to bust into the spotlight, much like Kev’s shlong through his barndoor in chemistry class.
Joe Leiterman and Robert Castillo are the number 4 seed and remind me a lot of the Wisconsin Badgers. They received a disrespectful seed in the middle of the pack but everyone knows they are dangerous and consistent. Joe Leiterman has long range shooting skills reminiscent of Jason Bohannon, and Robert Castillo is a brute force who can grind out tough cups when you need them like Joe Krabbenhoft. I think this team will advance deep into the tournament but you never know when Joe will pass out on the front lawn or leave to go to Taco Bell just before the championship game.
Next we have the mid major sleepers at the 5, 6, and 7 seeds. First up is the number 5 Mike Mullen and Greg Vande Voort. They are the equivalent of George Mason and are my Cinderella pick this year and will advance to the final four. Mike has showed promise in the past and the SBPL is about to learn just how good of a shooter Greg can be.
The 6 seed is an intriguing team with long time vet A.J. Krull and newcomer Jordan Lile. Jordan has called his shot on the message board, but I know nothing about him in terms of pong. On the other hand, A.J. has been around longer than Eddie Sutton. I think this team will more likely resemble Sutton’s run at San Francisco rather than Oklahoma State, but their promise to use Mountain Creek could scare some teams into playing not to lose and we all know what happens when you do that.
The last of the mid majors is number 7 seed Ryan Blohm and Jamie Goffard. My colleagues are high on these guys but I just don’t see it. Their inexperience may doom them in the end but they will play competitive pong and hopefully drink their beer faster than Claude does when he loses. We are still waiting for some of his cups from last year.
Last but not least, ha yea right, we have the Noell Vanden Heuvel and Katy Buman. They remind me of the number 15 seeded UMBC Retrievers. Not many people are giving them a chance, but with some long range bombing they could knock off a giant. Let’s face it, they aren’t that good, but they are least better than a team featuring perennial Nancy Award finalist Mike “Captain” Lardinois and an underhand shooting Shaun Brill. I don’t know if I’d rather see the lowly girls run the table in reverse or see them do well and have Doc Tolly’s belt get more ass than a priest in Sunday School.
That’s enough talk about seeding and the NCAA, lets delve into final predictions. I know many of you will be filling out your SBPL bracket for AA meeting group pools and are still a little undecided about your predictions. I have finished mine, and the predictions are sure to backfire in my face, so here we go. For round robin results I like Dan and Brad to capture the #1 seed with a 6-1 record in pool play. At #2 I’m going with Leiterman and Castillo to prove their doubters wrong by going 5-2. For the last two spots I’m predicting a three way tie between Kyle and myself, Jayke and Kev, and Mike and Greg all at 4-3. The last of my bold predictions is the girls to win at least one game, but that is it. Doc’s belt will strike again, that is my lock and load guarantee of the tournament.
A quick rundown of round robin predictions:
1. Brad/Dan 6-1 2. Joe/Robert 5-23. Mike/Greg 4-34. Kyle/myself 4-35. Jayke/Kev 4-36. AJ/Jordan 2-57. Ryan/Jamie 2-58. Noell/Katy 1-6
I will take the teams of Mike/Greg and myself/Kyle to win the tiebreaker and advance to the final four. In the final four I like Dan and Tolly to take out myself and Kyle in the 1 vs. 4 matchup. Also, I see Leiterman and Robert crushing the glass slipper of Mike and Greg in the semi’s. I would be as lame as Clark Kellogg picking all the #1 seeds to make the final four if I picked Dan and Brad, so just because of that fact I’m picking Leiterman and the Sorta Rican Robert Castillo to win it all in a decisive third and final game.
This year’s March Madness action should be thrilling as always. Good luck to all in the tournament, especially to myself and Kyle. Filling in for Eric Truyman, I’m Mark Buman, bidding you farewell appropriately in his words...”Welp, see ya later”.