Tampa Tidbits

A day full of press press conferences and practices (and blog posts) is about two hours away, but I got a chance to see a little of downtown Tampa Wednesday afternoon. Here are my first impressions:

(1) This is only my second trip every to Florida (I went to Orlando as a senior in high school), so all the palm trees, the 78-degree weather in March, etc. ... I'm still amazed by it. I'm sure the novelty of it all wears off for people who have been here more (this is UConn's third trip to the state this season), but for me, it's pretty cool to see.

(2) I'm without a car for the weekend, so checking out places like St. Pete's, Clearwater, Fort Myers, etc., is kind of out of the question. But downtown Tampa seems relatively clean and safe (My hotel is about a mile away from where myself and some of the other writers grabbed dinner last night, and my walk back alone was uneventful). There are a few restaurants and bars, too, and two blocks down from the St. Pete's Times Forum, there is an outdoor mall-like area that has stores, a Bennigans, a Thai place, a Hooters, etc. Included in there, interestingly enough, is a place called Banana Joe's, the infamous spot of the Carolina Panther cheerleader incident a few years back.

(3) The local newspapers (the Tampa Tribune and St. Pete Times) have really gone full out on coverage. The Tribune alone had a separate inside page for the regional tournament and sent a columnist and photographer to upstate New York to do a story on Siena.

(4) As for the city itself, there are banners around the arena touting it as an NCAA tournament destination (and the home of the women's Final Four), but throughout downtown, there's really little hoopla as far as posters, banners, etc.

(5) Disappointed I won't be able to catch a Red Sox game. Even if I had the time or funds (taxi?) to get out to Fort Myers, it doesn't matter. The Sox are off on their Japan trip, though they do know how to take care of their own before they go.

(6) As from ESPN.com writer Pat Forde's NCAA tournament scenario column:

"CONNECTICUT (4)

Best Case: Hasheem Thabeet blocks so many shots that they have to ice his palm daily by the time the Huskies reach the Final Four. Pleasant memories flourish for UConn fans, since they won the last Final Four played in the Alamodome, but the Huskies are taken down in the title game by North Carolina. Everyone returns on senior-less team and UConn is preseason No. 1 for 2008-09.

Worst Case: Jim Calhoun calls timeout four seconds into the opener against San Diego, furious at his team for failing to line up correctly for the jump ball. Grabs A.J. Price by the jersey, barks profanity at fans behind the bench, dumps on officials and generally acts like the unhappiest man in the Dance. Team follows his lead, plays miserably and loses to the Toreros. Thabeet and Price go pro."

I put this only for one reason: I wouldn't be surprised for San Diego to jump out very quickly on Friday and force Calhoun to burn a timeout. I'm not saying UConn isn't ready, but they're usually slow starters in day games and jacked-up underdogs usually come out red-hot anyway. That said, I can't imagine Price going pro after this season. It's gotten all the necessary accolades this year, but he has to know his stock can only go up if he stays. Thabeet's in the same boat, but his is high enough now where turning down a chance to leave might be too difficult. So enjoy seeing him -- every game from here on out could be his last at UConn.

Check back here in a few hours for the first round of updates from today's Media Day.