The Southwest regional this year was the first time in NCAA history that there was a region with three double-digit seeded teams. And after the dust settled, it was a number 11 seed that was heading to the Final Four – only the third time since 1979 that an eleven seed had done so. How so, you might ask? Wasn’t it a foregone conclusion that Kansas would advance? With a number one seed in the Southwest, and number two seed overall in the tournament, and seeds numbered 12, 11, and 10 remaining in their region, you had to seriously wonder how Kansas wouldn’t be punching a ticket to Houston for the Final Four.
All the bracketology “experts” in the land must be scratching their heads right now. This is yet another reminder of why they actually play the games. And what a game it was.
It is one of my favorite movie quotes – and now I finally get to use it here. It is attributed to one Nigel Tufnel, lead guitarist for Spinal Tap. When discussing his guitar amplifiers, Nigel notes that “these go to eleven”. And now, Rhubarb Ruminations “go to eleven” in true Tufnelesque fashion. Episode 11 is another fine mix of some of my favorite topics: music, politics, health, and, in the spirit of March, basketball. Sit back, relax, ponder and chuckle!
1. With music on my mind, let’s sing a belated happy birthday to none other than guitar virtuoso Ry Cooder - who just recently had a birthday on March 15 (the Ides of March, I might add). I know it’s a few days late, but better late than never, no? Cooder is, in my humble opinion, one of the most phenomenal guitarists on the planet. Cooder’s impact on my own musical world is indescribable – and merits a full post of its own (coming soon to a blog near you). Cooder definitely takes slide guitar to an eleven on a ten point scale.
For those who enjoy movies, you’ve probably heard some of his sound tracks (including “Paris, Texas”, “Crossroads”, “The Long Riders” and “Last Man Standing”). For those who are into world music, then you have probably heard “Buena Vista Social Club” – a production that he was intimately involved in. Happy Birthday, Ry – come back to Austin, please, so I can witness your epic slide guitar once again.
2. Where better to find good rhubarb than, well, Texas politics?
There have been plenty of surprises in the NCAA Tournament – as always – this year. As they say, the more things change – the more they stay the same. That is a good thing when it comes to March Madness. More on that idea later. Unfortunately, this has also become a rallying cry for the Texas men’s basketball fan.
The highly-regarded Texas men’s basketball program – ye of many great recruiting classes, lots of top 10 rankings, and plenty of NBA-caliber players - now has zero Sweet Sixteen appearances in four of the past 5 years. And don’t forget, they are 0 – 6 in Big 12 championship games.
So the question becomes this – how can this Longhorn’s program consistently under-achieve? I don’t think this is much of a surprise anymore.
You’ve sustained an injury. You don’t really know what to do. Perhaps you went to a family practice physician, an orthopedist, a massage therapist, a physical therapist, or a chiropractor. The more people you come into contact with, the more answers you receive regarding your problem. Your clinician may claim that injury recovery and treatment is as much an “art” as it is a science”. You may be prescribed a “protocol” that consists of a prolonged number of visits. Or you might receive the most common answer: “stop what you are doing and let’s wait and see”. Health care is a service industry. It is incumbent upon the provider of the service to aim to give you the best possible experience – just like any other service industry. But as consumers, we’ve lost our way. First of all, there is a growing chasm between “accepted standards” – and “evidence-based standards”. This drives our expectations - one of the primary issues surrounding health care consumerism. If you have been told by the health care marketplace, the media, and countless other lay articles, that time and countless visits is the standard, then your expectations will reflect this. However, accepted community standards of care are not the same as evidence-based standards of care. Our bottom line, our expectations, need to rise to reflect the standards found within the science of medicine.
So let’s start with a few “reality checks” and basic elements of consumerism when it comes to health care.
The numbers six and four weigh heavily for the Texas men’s basketball team today. In both instances, the context accompanying them is not anything to be proud of right now. Number six: The number of losses that the Longhorns have had in the Big 12 Championship game. After Saturday’s loss to Kansas, they are now 0 – 6 all-time – a streak that does not provoke much pride in the faithful. Coach Rick Barnes has done a great job of getting the Horns to the championship game consistently over the years, but has yet to seal the deal. Four of those losses have come against Kansas. Ah the reality of Big 12 basketball. Rock Chalk Jayhawk is here to stay.
Number four: The blowout loss to Kansas resulted in the other major number for the Longhorns today – the number four. March madness is now officially upon us, and the Longhorns go into the West region as a #4 seed. What was once looking like a solid #2 heading to San Antonio is now a #4 on the road to … Anaheim. Oh joy, indeed.
“Six and four” could have easily been one and two. Just a few weeks ago, it was easy to believe that the Longhorns first Big 12 Championship was around the next corner, as was a number one or two seed in the Southwest Region. Now, the reality check - are the Horns entering the Big Dance on the right foot? Or is this going to be another year in which the Horns dance with two left feet and exit stage left in the process?
Based on the numbers involved, I think that back pain could form it’s own nation. It has a large community of people that are speaking the same language and are bound by common factors. There is also a rather large fiscal component that binds the community together. We could call this new independent nation Backpainia (for lack of a better name). Maybe it could start as the 51st state of the US, and then seek its independence from the tyranny of, oh, lobbyist-driven health care.
But take heed, resolute citizens of Backpainia. Revolution is taking place throughout the world. Be it Egypt, Libya, or any of a plethora of nations, change is upon us. Something is also amiss in Backpainia – perhaps it is the next nation in need of a revolution?
The research data and socioeconomics of this nation explain everything.
March Madness is now upon us – in more ways than one. Yes, it is time to spend hours upon hours watching the NCAA basketball tournament. That is one of the great things about the month of March. But wait, there’s more March Madness to be had in Texas. The Texas Legislature now in full swing. Now that is madness.
The Texas March Madness started earlier in the year by giving emergency status to a bill regarding pre-abortion ultrasounds, at a time when there are bigger fish to fry. As it stands, there is still a $27 billion budget deficit to be dealt with. I guess that as a politician, it is important to know where to put the priorities of your constituents. Slash a program here or there, make huge budget cuts that affect millions, and, well, spend hours in session debating the “emergency” status of this bill. Please feel free to inject a large dose of sarcasm here.
So with Madness in mind, I present Episode 10 – a little health care, a little Texas, a little cycling, and a lot of Rhubarb.
Up to 60% of runners will sustain an injury within any given year. Poor running mechanics, in conjunction with poor, ineffective and outdated training methods, can pose a significant injury risk. "RunSmart" was written to address these issues in the running community.
"Running Injuries: Etiology And Recovery- Based Treatment" (co-author Bridget Clark, PT) appears in the third edition and fourth editions of "Clinical Orthopaedic Rehabilitation: A Team Approach" by Charles Giangarra, MD and Robert C. Manske, PT.
Allan Besselink, PT, DPT, Ph.D., Dip.MDT has a unique voice in the world of sports, education, and health care. Read more about Allan here.
Top 5 finalist in three categories: "Best Overall Blog", "Best PT Blog" and "Best Advocacy Blog".
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