Mello man leads Orangemen

Tonight is the culmination of a wild year, not to mention a wild month of college basketball. Finally, some closure on a tournament I think we would all like to forget. Unless you're a Jayhawk or an Orangemen.

At the beginning of the month, when I was composing "my perfect bracket" and pouring over stacks and stacks of stats from the season, I wondered when Roy Williams and Jim Boeheim would win their first titles. Certainly not this year. After all, this was the year for the Kentucky Wildcats. Besides, Kansas has always been a perennial choker and no freshman is going to lead Syracuse to the finals.

I'm starting to enjoy the taste of crow.

What a story it would be if Roy Williams could win his first title with this club. Williams could celebrate by riding off into the sunset and fulfill his dream by filling the vacancy at North Carolina. It would be a nice story, but I prefer the nonfiction section.

The truth is, there has never been a freshman quite like Carmelo Anthony of Syracuse. He is the truth. He exudes confidence and is glowing with charisma, which was evident by his smiles during Syracuse's victory over Texas.

I used to think Lex Luger from the WWF was the "Total Package" but the Mello Man from New York would crush Luger's six-pack like an empty soda can.

Put your trust in Mello, and everything will come out as smooth as caramel. Either that or I'll be grilling some more crow this weekend.

I'd still take LeBron James if I had the first pick in the draft, though.

Here's your week ahead:

Today

Here is your first chance to acquire a Scott Rolen bobblehead since he was acquired from the Phillies. The Memphis Redbirds will honor All-Star Cardinals in honor of the Triple A All-star game, which will be held at Auto Zone park late in the year. Only the first 1,500 fans will receive one. The gates open at 6 p.m. for a 7:05 start against the Iowa Cubs.

Tuesday

You won't want to miss the fastest growing rivalry around. This could be better than Central and Jackson. Notre Dame visits Central at 4 p.m. in baseball. Besides the two schools' dislike for their own natural hair colors, they have something else in common: Both teams' perfect starts were stopped by Sikeston.

On the road again ... If you're thinking of grabbing Cardinals tickets for the weekend, forget about it. The Cards begin a nine game road trip today, their second longest of the season.

Wednesday

Did I say rivalry? Southern Illinois visits Southeast Missouri State at 3 p.m. for their second baseball matchup of the season.

Friday

The Grizzlies host the Blazers in the final official giveaway night of the season. The first 5,000 fans receive Star Stackers ("a unique collectible item"). What is this, a Colonial basketball game? Have you seen these things? They look like something the Pilgrims played with on the Mayflower to pass the time. I recommend arriving early even if you don't want the door prize due to an increase in security. It's also the final Buck Night as well with all hot dogs, popcorn, peanuts, and soda just a buck. By the way, the Grizz went 8-4 at home combined in the months of February and March.

Saturday

After 28 new school records, a ranking in the top 25 for the first time ever during the season, and the first American Football Coaches Association regional coach of the year award for Tim Billings, Southeast Missouri State's football team has a tough gig to follow. The finale of a series of spring scrimmages in preparation for the upcoming season is at 6:30 p.m. The annual spring game features celebrity coaches and will contain plenty of intrigue with the three-way quarterback race.

Local motorsports is taking a week off, but Music City is always hopping. The NASCAR Busch Series comes to Nashville Super Speedway for the Pepsi 300. The gates open at noon for a 3 p.m. race. For tickets call 866-RACE-TIX or log onto www.nashvillesuperspeedway.com.

David Wilson is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian and a student at Central High School. His column "The Week Ahead" appears every Monday.