Didn't they pray hard enough?

BrooklynDodger asks readers not to take a hint about the Dodger's base of operations from recent news postings.

The Dodger always felt there was unintended humor in naming the evangelical college "Oral" - the deity causing Oral's parents to give him that sexy name so that the college could carry it into the headlines. The Dodger is sure that this team prays before the game and at half time, and believes that any defeat is only a test of their faith, not a sign that the deity was inept or uncaring regarding the outcome.

The Dodger wonders why public money is being spent taking Oakland University into Division I, at a time when university funding is on the ropes in Michigan.

For those who, like the Dodger, don't follow the major minors, this was the mid-Continent conference tournament. Mid Continent would appear to exist only for the purpose of getting an NCAA tournament automatic bid.


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Wednesday, March 9, 2005

Oakland 61, Oral Roberts 60
Dukes lifts Oakland to NCAA Tournament
Dukes' 3-pointer with 1.3 seconds left helps Grizzlies upset Oral Roberts.


TULSA, Okla. -- Pierre Dukes became an unlikely hero for an improbable NCAA Tournament team.
Dukes' only shot of the second half was a three-pointer with 1.3 seconds left, and Oakland upset top-seeded Oral Roberts, 61-60, Tuesday night to win the Mid-Continent Conference tournament and make the NCAA Tournament despite a 12-18 record.
Oakland, the seventh seed in the Mid-Continent field, is in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since becoming a Division I program eight seasons ago. For the fourth straight season, a team with a losing record has made the NCAA Tournament.