All day I've been mulling over an article I read about whether or not Butler playing in the national championship game will be a major turning point for the teams we once called mid-majors. I'm still going to write about that, but two other things have come to my attention that I need to report.

First, the story scrolled across my email at about 4:30 this afternoon, 30 minutes after an explosion ripped through a West Virginia coal mine. At the time there was little detail and I calmly passed the story around the office, allowing for the collective concern to build.

Rest assured that not a single person here turns and says anything along the lines of, "See! This is why coal is so bad!" We know coal is bad and we know it is dangerous. But we're not here to play politics with the seven people who died and the 19 who are still trapped in the mine.

The mine is owned by Massey Energy, the arch enemy of environmental groups, and operated by Performance Coal, a Massey subsidiary. The mine is nonunion, but the largest union sent help. The fact is that, if it is two dangerous to rescue the miners, this could be an even bigger tragedy than it already is now.

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The second thing, which also isn't so popular, is the release of a video, showing an apache helicopter in Iraq, shooting at a crowd of people on the ground, in what has turned into a an investigation here in the U.S. The military said the soldiers were acting within the rules of engagement.



I am absolutely not going to second guess the military here. I am not a soldier and it isn't anywhere near my area of expertise. The radio conversation could have been a little more serious, but we cannot act like we haven't trained these guys to be calm, collected killers.

Taken as a whole, the video is disconcerting. But unless someone I know and respect tells me otherwise, it looks like the realities of war.

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Finally, I begin this as I watch the second half of this highly entertaining, competitive basketball game betweek Butler and Duke at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Much of the conversation, after how great it is that Butler is getting play the national championship game in its home city, is around what this means for "mid-majors".

My answer: nothing.

Allow me to explain. First, look at Butler as a program. It isn't your classic mid-major program. It is a well-respected program nearing of a decade of success that came into the season highly ranked. But the real x-factor for this team with a 33-year old coach that plays in maybe the most historic basketball arena in the country: it's in Indiana.

Why does that matter? The state of Indiana is one of the most fertile recruiting grounds in the country and Butler is a desirable place to play basketball. Throw in the years long struggle Indiana, formerly coached by Bob Knight and the recipe for their success was basically cooked for them.

Now, as far as the nation as a whole, the statement is not being made in this game. Whereas recruiting used to be regional and home-school loyalty strong, that is no longer the case. All recruiting is national. This particularly helps schools like a Butler, which take advantage of bigger programs recruiting out of state and fill up with in-state recruits. In addition, the guys that leave the state, but miss it and want to come back have a perfect situation in Indianapolis.

The table is set for many teams to do this. It won't be like it was with George Mason a few years ago. It will be with really good basketball teams that deserve to be exactly where they are. It would be hard to classify any of Butler wins in the tournament "upsets", except maybe Syracuse. This team is for real. They belong where they are.

With the way recruiting works now, and with how widely syndicated college basketball is these days, this will not be rare. In fact, in case many of your forgot, Gonzaga has been knocking on the door for quite some time as well. I am not surprised by what we are watching right now.


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If you're from Seattle, this is pretty cool. The 98118 area code, most of South Seattle, is the most diverse in the country. Take a look at a map of it and you'll understand why.

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Keep praying for those in the mine in West Virginia. Night.