Dunce Cap Award: Michael Kline

I watched exactly one college basketball game from start to finish this season, and that was Siena beating St. Bonaventure @ Times Union Center back in December. Not much of a college hoops fan anymore. High school's more my beat, don't care for the NBA and its marketing-fueled politics.

Then, I read about a whiny North Carolina fan who's bent out of shape because the Tar Heels lost to Villanova on a last second basket on Monday night. The Wildcats hadn't reached the finals, for cryin' out loud, since the Rollie Massimino-led Wildcats upset Georgetown 31 years ago.

Consider Michael Kline's statement on www.change.org:

"This game was poorly officiated from the tip off to the end. It was a one sided called game all the way through. The officials called fouls against UNC that should have not been called and never called Villanova for the fouls they committed. The officials never called Villanova for multiple travel violations either. Also I want a complete investigation into the officials as it was them that decided the game not who played better."

Or, to put it another way, "Waaaaaah! We wuz robbed! Waaah! Waaaah!"

Seeing as how I didn't see the game at all, I can't judge whether or not Kline's whining has any merit to it. All it is, then, is the slanted viewpoint of a fan who doesn't see things clearly. The audio (radio) call of the game-winning shot was heard all over the place Tuesday morning, including on K-Love, a syndicated Christian radio network, and that's how I found out about Villanova winning. Good for them, I thought, it's a long time coming. Now, Kline throws shade on the Wildcats, whining that the referees were biased in their favor.

As we're sending Kryin' Kline a Dunce Cap for being such an out-of-touch idiot, let's consider that without proof of any wrongdoing to prove his point, Kline has no case. The NCAA will retroactively vacate victories due to off-field indiscretions (i.e. overzealous boosters giving student-athletes financial assistance when they're not supposed to, having ineligible players), but they've never reversed a result. That just isn't done in the real world. In fiction, yes, but not in real life. Not that often.

We're also sending Dunce Caps to those moronic New England Patriot fans intent on filing a lawsuit to have the NFL reinstate the draft picks the Pats had taken away from them due to the Deflate-gate scandal. I get that these people are passionate about their teams, to the point of obsession, but they come across as being whiny, spoiled, filled with artificial entitlement, well, you get the idea. Might as well send some baby bottles along with the Caps, filled with spring water.