Taxes = Run Down

Tax time. Let's face it. The only reason that I bother to file this early is because I expect to get a refund. I've let the government use my money tax-free long enough, so it's time for them to pay up. That means that I spent most of the evening sorting through documents, but for us, that means it's time to run it down:

1. Sad news today out of Minnesota where Vikings defensive end Kenechi Udeze has been diagnosed with leukemia. Life certainly has a way of interfering when you least expect it. Prayers for a speedy recovery to him and for his family during this difficult time.

2. Uno the beagle won Best in Show at the 132nd Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, the first time that a beagle has ever won the honor. I would put excerpts of the AP article here but you really need to read the whole thing to get the proper effect. Trust me. Apparently Uno has the making to be (I'm sorry) top dog being billed as the All-American dog because of his popular breed. Not only does Uno get to eat steak (more like swallow if you've seen a dog eat) on a silver platter at a swanky New York restaurant but he also gets to ring the opening bell on Wall Street and make the TV rounds. Yet he can still eat his own crap and sniff other dogs' nether regions and no one bats an eye. Life is not fair.

3. The Detroit Pistons have quietly racked up nine wins in a row. If it's not the Boston Celtics, it's just not news. Well, when they lose prior to the NBA Finals, perhaps someone will find it interesting then.

4. Indiana University basketball program looks to be in some trouble over allegations of improper calls to recruits in violation of the NCAA rules. Not just a few, a whole lot. So is that how they got Eric Gordon? By calling him a lot? I'm going to go on record as saying that that only works in some instances and not others. No further comment.

5. This dispute over the shot clock pausing for 1.3 seconds in a heavily-contested rematch of the women's NCAA final featuring Rutgers vs. Tennessee has turned serious. Ordinarily, people wouldn't notice the pause, but in this case, a foul is alleged to have occurred during the pause, which, if the clock had been performing normally, would have come after the game was over. As it was, the foul was ruled to have occurred prior to the buzzer, and Tennessee ended up winning the game by one point on the made free throws. Now the inventor is speaking out and saying that the clock is fine and human error could have caused the problem. Really, the inventor? Is the shot clock business so competitive that the inventor of the NCAA's choice du jour feels the need to publicly defend his product? Perhaps his competitors are jumping in trying to push their shot clocks upon the slightest sign of a malfunction. That's a tough business. Those of you who were thinking of getting into it may want to reconsider.