The American Spectator

Titles for Mrs. C. (Posted 4/9/03 12:24 a.m.) br> Who said American literary life is moribund? Or that compassionate conservatism is nothing more than a campaign slogan? What an outpouring of book title ideas you’ve provided on behalf of the most overpaid blocked woman writer in the United States Senate. The finest of those first offerings are now posted . But, I fear, there are more pouring in. Don’t some of you think maybe you’re taking this charity work a bit too far? But not to worry: all entries that missed today’s postings will be studied and focus-grouped. A subsequent posting will follow before week’s end. I’m confident Sen. Clinton would have me thank all of you for your abiding interest in her pathbreaking career. /p>

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p> Coaching Genius (posted 4/8/03 2:27 a.m.) br> Monday night was a sad one for the University of Kansas, but at least it proved that its clean-cut and seemingly ultra-proper Roy Williams is a real coach. Did you hear what he said to CBS’s Bonnie Bernstein in the post-game interview? She asked him if he was now going to take the University of North Carolina job. He concluded his up to then polite reply with this: “I don’t give a s—- about North Carolina…” For the first time ever one could imagine how he runs practices and gets his charges to work like the devil. /p>

You have to feel for Kansas. If there’s been a constant in the NCAA single-elimination tournament over the years is that the team with star seniors would emerge as the likely winner. Didn’t happen this time. Syracuse and its freshman stars held on. To Kansas’s credit it came back when most others would have folded. But it was clearly outmanned, and now life goes on. After what he said, it would seem that for Williams it won’t be in North Carolina.

A lot will be made of all the missed free-throws that killed Kansas’s chances, though the contagion soon affected Syracuse as well, as if to suggest that the first team to hit a free-throw wins. But consider the circumstances. Both teams by then were reeling like fighters who’d thrown and absorbed too many punches. These guys play incredibly hard. After five-plus months of this it’s a miracle anyone is left standing.

Actually, two teams still are. On Tuesday night the women of Connecticut will face their rivals from the University of Tennessee. The ball and players are slightly smaller, but otherwise it’s the same game, played with plenty of intensity of its own, and probably much better free-throw shooting down the stretch. Though who knows — Connecticut’s star missed two key free-throws in the final seconds in Sunday’s semifinal, at a point in the game when she was barely breathing. Parity pops up where least expect it.