The festivities at the Final Four kicked off last night with the Men???s Salute, as players and coaches from the four teams were honored during a formal program hosted by broadcasting great Jim Nantz. I have never been to the Men???s Final Four before and this event really raised my excitement about being here. There was a certain buzz in the room, an air of anticipation that is taking a hold of the city and everyone in it.

Some observations from the evening:

??? Georgetown???s players were dressed to the nines. There wasn???t one player who wasn???t wearing a jacket and a tie and they all conducted themselves with the utmost maturity. I complimented athletics director Bernard Muir on the way his kids presented themselves and he was effusive in his praise of head coach John Thompson III, saying it was a reflection on him and his values.

??? Jim Nantz is amazing. I???ve always respected the way he does his job, but to watch him in action was inspiring. He spent just one hour on stage, but I could have watched him for days. He tells a story when he speaks, and it was an honor to watch him in action.

??? When Nantz interviewed Thompson on stage, the coach called his father ???cantankerous.??? The auditorium shook with laughter.

??? I chatted with NCAA President Myles Brand after the program for a couple of moments and although he???s been here before, his enthusiasm for this event is evident. Dr. Brand greeted each player on the stage to present him with his Final Four gift and when we chatted afterwards, he mentioned how much he enjoyed himself. He also commented on the size of some of the student-athletes, notably Georgetown???s Roy Hibbert and Ohio State???s Greg Oden.

??? I finally had a chance to meet one of the most respected guys in intercollegiate athletics last night. Bill Hancock, former administrative director of the Men???s Final Four and now the administrator of the Bowl Championship Series, alluded to the fact that he???d like to utilize the Double-A Zone during the 2007 football season and that???s something we???re going to work out in the next five months.