Afternoon roundup: Three cheers for Gyno and Jones

For what it’s worth, I think “Three Cheers for Gyno and Jones” would make either a really good prog-rock album or an even better Adult Swim cartoon.

You could describe today’s games as ho-hum if you wanted to, but that’s now two — count ‘em, two — really, really good endings. Oh, and we have our first upset of the day.

Gyno Pomare scored 22 on 10-12 shooting, most of which came in a 15-foot soft-shooting sweet spot reminiscient of Larry Bird’s automatic midrange game. Anytime Pomare got even a glimpse at a set on the elbow, it was down. Pomare eventually fouled out, but Rob Jones added huge baskets down the stretch (including a strong and-one in overtime over Hasheem Thabeet), and  De’Jon Jackson made a game winner over Stanley Robinson (as MJD said in Gchat: “The shaming of Stanley Robinson continues.”) to seal the win for the Toreros.

San Diego’s win was obviously an upset, but the Toreros really don’t look like an upset team. At the risk of revealing my inherent biases here, San Diego is an athletic, strong team with a solid big man — they’re not ashoot-happy, undersized team (think Belmont) that one would usually associate with an upset team. If you’re looking for that mid-major Sweet 16 team, the Toreros might be your ticket.

As for the rest of the afternoon games, as MJD already said, there really wasn’t much going on. Butler beat South Alabama in requisite fashion (Bill Raftery’s best line: “[A.J. Graves] has the angelic look, but … he’s a killer!”); Texas beat Austin Peay, and chalk otherwise ruled the day.

That’s likely it for MJD and I today, though we will be back tomorrow to do what we do. Happy Easter/NCAA Tournament weekend, peeps.

Is this heaven? No, it’s Maryvale, Arizona

It doesn’t have the name recognition of HoHoKam Stadium in Mesa. It’s not located in between a butte like Diablo Stadium in Tempe. It’s not surrounded by fashionable boutiques and stunning women like the Giants’ home in Scottsdale.

Still, I’m crowning the Brewers home at Maryvale Baseball Park as my favorite spring training facility in Arizona. In fact, just being here is making me downright sad that my Spring Swing is coming to an end. (Well, that and the snow awaiting me back in Chicago.)

Reasons to love Maryvale?

1. The entire place smells like grilled bratwurst.

2. The concourse extends all the way around the stadium and it’s easy to take a lap and just people watch. Plus there’s a beer stand about every 10 feet.

3. It’s full of the most friendly people on Earth — Wisconsinites.

4. It’s incredibly cozy without feeling overly crowded.

5.  Two words: Sausage race.  (Video to come.)

Maryvale in pictures follows the jump

Opened in 1998, Maryvale isn’t in the best of neighborhoods, but it has a funky Southwest deco look going on from the outside.

I made sure to park far away from this van in the parking lot. Isn’t driving a Coors van to Miller Country a bit like driving a Toyota to an auto workers’ union meeting in Detroit?

The strange thing is that I think this offer was available to children*.

(*Not really.)

Rickie Weeks and Craig Counsell sign autographs before the game.

Prince Fielder talks about being a vegetarian for the 983rd time this spring.

Nothing says “future of the franchise” like the side of a merchandise trailer.

Does it get any more American than this? I wish I had brought my glove.

Stuffed sausages for sale! Get your stuffed sausages!

Should we be concerned over the lack of a line at this booth?

The sausages are leaving the building.

Gebrselassie drops marathon hint

Gebrselassie has set 26 world records during his career

Haile Gebrselassie says he could go back on his decision to withdraw from the marathon at this year’s Olympics.The 34-year-old, who suffers from asthma, had announced that he would not race in the showpiece event because of the high pollution levels in Beijing.

But he has now said he would consider running if the race was moved away from the city centre and a change to the start time was brought in.

“I do not want to rule anything out at this point,” he said.

“This decision is not about me. It is about all athletes who will be competing. Our safety has to be protected.

“If the International Olympic Committee (IOC) makes the decision to switch venues, then I may compete depending on how my training is going.

“People must understand that this is a sporting decision and no different than what I make for every competition.”

606: DEBATE Haile is absolutely right - why run this distance in those conditions? SB

The distance runner has reportedly come under pressure from his home supporters in Ethiopia to take part in the race.

And Gebrselassie, who set a new marathon world record in Berlin last year, was keen to stress that his announcement should not be misconstrued as a snub to China.

“I have nothing against China or their hosting of the Olympics. They are doing a great job,” he said.

Gebrselassie is determined to take part in the Olympic 10,000m - an event he has won twice before, in Atlanta in 1996 and in Sydney in 2000.

“I have planned to compete in the 10,000m, but first I have to qualify for the Ethiopian team. That is not easy,” he said.

“I would not have made the decision if I was not confident of my ability. In one way or another, I am going to compete in Beijing.”

Ishant and Irfan have Australia reeling

Yet another sterling new-ball performance from Ishant Sharma, and some good support acts from the rest of the seamers, rattled Australia’s top order on a belter of a pitch in scorching Adelaide.

Choosing to bat first on a featherbed of a pitch, Australia were struggling at 79 for 5 at the halfway mark with Ishant and Irfan Pathan snaring two wickets apiece. Like in Melbourne, Australia lost half their side with less than 75 on the board and the sight of Gilchrist hammering his bat against the dressing-room walls summed up the frustration.

Ishant dismissed two dangerous batsman - the in-form Adam Gilchrist, who inside-edged onto his stumps, and the explosive Andrew Symonds, chopping straight to gully. He clocked up a serious pace, going beyond the 152kph mark on one occasion, and extracted good bounce from what was essentially a batsman’s paradise. He sussed up the conditions early and struck a perfect length, one that didn’t allow the batsmen to get onto their front foot.

He could have had Matthew Hayden early on as well, beating him on four occasions without striking the edge. Unlike Sreesanth, who offered the left-hand openers plenty of room, he cramped them for space and troubled with bounce. Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s decision to bring him back for a second spell at the start of the third Powerplay paid dividends: he struck with the wicket of Symonds to solidify India’s position even further.

The support cast did a fine job. Munaf Patel, playing his first game since August last year, managed good bounce from the surface while Pathan moved the ball enough to deliver the sucker punch. Munaf ensured that Ponting’s poor run continued - forcing him to chip straight to Rohit Sharma at point - while Pathan lured Hayden and Hussey into indiscreet drives, watching the ball bob up to an elated Dhoni.

Michael Clarke, doubtful for this game, was now under pressure to lead them to a position of respectability. Australia are yet to beat India in the CB Series and it will be up to Clarke and the rest of the lower order to ensure the trend doesn’t continue.

Australia 1 Adam Gilchrist, 2 Matthew Hayden, 3 Ricky Ponting, 4 Michael Clarke, 5 Michael Hussey, 6 Andrew Symonds, 7 James Hopes, 8 Brad Hogg, 9 Stuart Clark, 10 Mitchell Johnson, 11 Nathan Bracken

India 1 Sachin Tendulkar, 2 Gautam Gambhir, 3 Robin Uthappa, 4 Rohit Sharma, 5 Mahendra Singh Dhoni, 6 Yuvraj Singh, 7 Irfan Pathan, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Sreesanth, 10 Munaf Patel, 11 Ishant Sharma