First Principles

Here we go into the final stretch – let’s see which mascot will wear this year’s Badass Crown! Sweet Sixteen The (16) Liberty Flames over the (5) Oklahoma State Cowboys There are times when not giving a crap any more can be what you need for a final badass push.  But not when it comes […]

[Read more →]

We’re underway, and the creme is starting to rise to the top of the chaffe, or something.  Let’s find out just how badass these mascots can be in the third round! Midwest The (16) Liberty Flames over the (9) Missouri Tigers

[Read more →]

Woo Hoo!  It’s Madness Time on the hard court once again, ladies and gentlemen!  It’s a time I’ve always looked forward to, even as a casual sports fan most of the year, for reasons that totally had nothing to do with finals being over.  And indeed, as our politics have gotten stupider, the need for […]

[Read more →]

Without further ado, let’s trace out the rest of the badassiest bracket! Sweet Sixteen The (16) Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils over the (5) Wichita State Shockers The Shockers had a great run, but dirty-minded chutzpah can only take you so far.  You can’t out-dirty-mind the devil, after all.

[Read more →]

The badass wheat is starting to be separated from the lame-ass chaff – but who will be the badassiest of them all? South Region The (16) Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils over the (8) Iowa State Cyclones A fire manipulating Cajun Imp is pretty badass, but one of the most destructive and unpredictable forces of […]

[Read more →]

It’s March Madness time once again, and again we here at First Principles are committed to providing you the best sports analysis anywhere. Oh, wait.  This is a political blog.  And I’m a terrible sports fan – a “low information” sports fan, if you will.  Which is why I like to base my predictions on […]

[Read more →]

Here’s the last of them – scroll down for ever-increasing badassity, and find out who is the badassiest mascot of the field of 68!  (Here are the First, Second, and Third rounds, in case you missed them.) Sweet Sixteen (12) UAB Blazers over the (8) George Mason Patriots Interestingly, the Patriot mascot and the dragon […]

[Read more →]

Which team’s mascot badassity will lead their team to victory?  Scroll on down.  (Here are the First and Second Rounds, in case you missed ’em.) East (8) George Mason Patriots over the (16) Alabama State Hornets  

[Read more →]

It’s time once again to break out your brackets, and discover who will REALLY make it to the Final Four!  Sure, you could check RPIs and win-loss records and injuries and player size and all that, but that’s a lot of stuff to keep track of.  For those more casual sports fans like myself who […]

[Read more →]

I’m trying to imagine going back in time and asking the Federalists, “Now, if we ratify this thing, will it give the federal government the power to regulate tournament rules for collegiate sporting events?”

[Read more →]

Oh, perfidious North Carolina, rolling like a ruthless steamroller over all who stand in your way!  Who could have known you’d be so unstoppable after losing in your own conference tournament!?!  I was all set to crow about the brilliance of my Badassiest Mascot method, and you had to go and ruin it!  You, a […]

[Read more →]

Who is the badassiest of them all?  What team should you pick to beat out your Final Four Pool office mates?  Read on for all the answers, and prepare to be awed by my eerie prescience when the games begin tomorrow!

[Read more →]

The top half of badassity has risen, and those wanting in their awesomeness have fallen by the wayside.  Who will be the Badassiest Mascot of them all?  The Dance and the debate continues!

[Read more →]

It’s time once again for my favorite sporting event of the year, the NCAA Basketball Tournament.  And my favorite part of that (besides all the drinking and gambling) is making my picks based on the badassity of the mascots. An explanation and history of this tradition can be found preceding last year’s badass picks here.  […]

[Read more →]

Last week, UCONN’s men’s basketball coach Jim Calhoun put the press conference beatdown on a sniveling reporter who tried to speak truth to power by asking him about his big salary of $1.6 million per year in a time of vast budget deficits.  The coach pointed out that his efforts earn $12 million per year […]

[Read more →]

If you haven’t checked out the first round picks in the previous post, you should do that first.  And without further ado…

[Read more →]

It’s that time of year again. Every year in whatever pool I’m running, I submit a “Badassiest Mascot” bracket that bases its predictions solely on the badassity of the team’s mascot. (I generally decline to put money down on that one.) This has been the subject of controversy in years past, as the “badass” standard […]

[Read more →]