We DID NOT see this one coming. Chris Bahn gives a more detailed overview than we could on how Arkansas-Pine Bluff clawed its way into the NCAA Tournament, but suffice to say, hearing the Golden Lions had made it to the Big Dance (or at least to the coat check since they're participating in the play-in game) was not something we had the foresight to recognize. It all makes sense now. The 0-11 record the Golden Lions started off the season with was balanced out and then some as soon as the team stopped playing the UTEPs and Missouri's and moved on to its SWAC schedule, routinely holding opponents to under 50, sometimes 40 points. Look, we're not kidding ourselves. Assuming UAPB gets past Winthrop, there's no way they're beating Duke. If they do, we're going to play every Powerball ticket we can buy. That said, UAPB will get some national attention as one of the play-in teams, fans everywhere will be seeing the Arkansas-Pine Bluff's name on their brackets, and for what it's worth, UAPB can lay claim as the only school in the state who's played in the NCAA Tournament this decade. It's the first time in two years a team from Arkansas has been there and it's the first time in 11 years that a team not called the Razorbacks has been. We're looking forward to the office rallying for UAPB in front of the TV tomorrow instead of getting those TPS forms filed. It's been a long time coming.

If you've had your ear open in central Arkansas for the past few weeks, you've heard the crazy stories surrounding the Apple Blossom Invitational: Cabins on Lake Hamilton getting leased for thousands just for that weekend alone. Grandstand tickets showing up on eBay. We even heard that security was getting beefed up for a possible Governor's Summit at Oaklawn between our Mike Beebe and California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. All because the owners of Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta had agreed to put their horses up against each other in the Apple Blossom Invitational with a $5 million purse dangling in front of their noses. Alas, Rachel Alexandra had a weak finish in a defeat at New Orleans this weekend and owner Jess Jackson says his mare isn't going to race at Oaklawn. That sliding clown whistle sound you just heard was Charles Cella's $5 million purse dropping down to $500,000, national interest in the race fading away and eBay sales drying up. The good news is that Cella and Oaklawn have shown to the world that if there's an opportunity to put on an important race for some worldwide attention, the Jockey Club won't be afraid to do it. Now, it's just a matter of waiting for the next good opportunity to come along.