By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

I don't think I've ever liked one thing about Chad Ochocinco. His only value is on the football field 16 days out of every calendar year, but even that gets compromised from time to time with his never-ending, off-the-field soap opera disguised as a circus.

His latest episode went public Tuesday on -- where else? -- Twitter.

ESPN's best radio talk-show host, Colin Cowherd, did his job on Tuesday by expressing an opinion about moron athletes. I can't remember if his rant was prompted by the latest Allen Iverson drama or another Ben Roethlisberger sex-abuse allegation.

Regardless, Cowherd went on about how many athletes make bad decisions when presented with boatloads of money. I couldn't agree more.

Now, before we continue, please note there's no disputing that non-athletes make bad choices with their money as well. Some people are bad at sports, others are bad at playing a musical instrument and still others are bad at making decisions. It's just a part of life that some are good at and others struggle with.

But the reason the exploits of athletes are dissected and discussed the way they are is because they are high-profile citizens in our shallow and fame-obsessed culture. Becoming a high-profile person is partly -- maybe largely -- what drives some young people to work hard and pursue a career in pro football, for example. Fame, money, cars and women represent the promised land for many aspiring athletes.

They pursue those material things because to them, jewelry symbolizes a better life from the one that shaped their upbringing. How many times have we heard stories about athletes who made it despite a tough childhood in the ghetto with nine siblings and a single mother who worked three jobs because the alcoholic dad left home?

And despite an absence of proper parental guidance, some athletes remain strong enough to stick to their sport, stay away from the guns and drugs and earn a college scholarship and perform well enough to earn the notice of professional scouts. Years later, they're midway through a solid pro career, their troubles seemingly behind them.

But just because an athlete doesn't have a felony record, however, it doesn't mean those problems are entirely in the past. Psychological or social shortcomings, certainly far less tangible than a DUI or an assault arrest, don't go away with million-dollar salaries.

Perhaps an absence of attention during childhood is what drove Chad Johnson, years later as an adult, to sport gold teeth, to don a Hall of Fame jacket and to change his last name to, in his mind, match his jersey number. Maybe there wasn't an absence of attention and there's some other explanation behind Ochocinco's endless quest for the spotlight.

Perhaps it's why Terrell Owens kept a Sharpie in his sock. Maybe it's why Iverson is, well, Iverson. Could it be why Roethlisberger seems to find himself in trouble frequently?

A few of my Cincinnati friends sent me a video that made one of the local news channels a couple years ago, when Ochocinco went on some video-game shopping spree at a Best Buy or something like that. How come we never hear about athletes and their visits to Barnes & Noble?

But back to today's latest, where Ochocinco used the popular microblogging site to lash out at Cowherd for his criticism of athletes and their squandering of money. Cowherd singled out the Bengals' wideout for dropping $150,000 on an SUV, claiming he'll end up like former NBA player Antoine Walker, who at one point owned nine luxury vehicles, but now can't pay his bills.

And because Ochocinco can't take any criticism because he's a child, please, here were his Twitter reactions to Cowherd's rant -- eight of them, all within a span of about 50 minutes:

+ Colin coward talking shh?

+ Colin Coward with all the negative going on with athletes how do u find a way to lump me n yo show just say I don't like this black guy!!

+ I guess Colin won't be happy till I get a DUI, arrested, well hell maybe I should get accused of rape, maybe that'll make him STFU!!!!

+ @Reddy_Dean why talk about somebody who does nothing wrong? Talk shows are merely for negative material I don't fit that category.

+ @espn__michelle tell your lil fake Ryan Seacrest never made it in life so I am gonna judge everybody who does what I couldn't do to shutup!

+ @espn_colin its not my fault your girl is cheating on you, its your fault, try EXTENZE and stop worryin about me! Lmao-have a show bout that

+ @espn_colin you look like an extra from the movie LORD OF THE RINGS, get your lisp fixed before you do your next show!

+ Anyway back to being great, time is money and I just lost about awww nevermind, I love y'all, headed into practice

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

There used to be a time when I hated March Madness almost as much as I loved it.

The NCAA Basketball Tournament is always the top sporting event each calendar year, but compared to most playoffs, it always ended too quickly.

So once the first week of April would roll around and the great sport has crowned its annual champion, I'd find myself in a sports-deprived funk. And before you can tell me about Opening Day, let me first tell you that Major League Baseball in April, May and June is boring as hell.

But then I developed an interest in hockey and found the Stanley Cup Playoffs also to be a great tournament. And then I moved to Louisville and took a liking to horse racing, particularly Derby Season that grabs its headlines throughout April.

And then Lebron James turned pro and suddenly my hometown Cavaliers are a television staple throughout the month of May.

And this year, we'll have a World Cup to enjoy in June. And after the July 11 final in Johannesburg, we can then shift our attention to the MLB trading deadline and the second half of the season, hoping for two or three intriguing pennant races.

Or we can say, "Screw baseball," as I'll probably do, and start thinking college football.

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

Mario Chalmers will forever be remembered as the hero for Kansas, but college basketball fans probably won't soon forget Memphis' terrible free-throw shooting that allowed Chalmers' late three to even matter.

KU trailed by nine points with barely more than two minutes left, but the Tigers missed four of five freebies down the stretch as the Jayhawks mounted their furious comeback.

Kansas guard Sherron Collins brought the ball up on Kansas' final possession in regulation, handed to Chalmers, who dribbled once to his left, then launched the game-tying shot that the following week would grace the cover of Sports Illustrated.

And once overtime began, one team enjoyed the momentum while the other went searching for a Zoloft prescription. Kansas took advantage of its second life and ran away with its first national championship in 20 years, 75-68.

No account of this game can be provided without a mention of Derrick Rose, Memphis' electrifying freshman point guard who almost single-handedly led the Tigers to the title. Rose blossomed in the second half, scoring on driving layups and long-range bombs. His off-balanced rainbow banked in as the shot clock expired, giving Memphis a late eight-point cushion. But the officials later overturned the three-point ruling and said Rose's foot was on the line.

Follow March Madness 140 characters at a time: @onegreatseason

In honor of Sunday's Academy Awards, I've compiled a list of the six best sports movies of all time.

Anyone can do a Top 50, a Top 20 or a Top 10. If you do a Top 50, you don't really miss out on anything, leaving your readers no opportunity to write in and tell you how stupid you are. I like to take those chances.

I've seen dozens of sports movies and there are many I would have liked to have added to this list. Hundreds have been made over the years, and surely you'll disagree with this best-of countdown, but after recalling some of my favorites, I feel confident in calling this the only list you need to heed:

6. The Express (2008) -- Rob Brown's second sports movie has him playing the role of Ernie Davis, the legendary Syracuse running back who would become college football's first black Heisman Trophy winner at a time when the civil rights movement divided Americans in the 1960s. Syracuse coach Ben Schwartzwalder, played by Dennis Quaid in Quaid's fourth sports role, is set in his ways as he tries to make the Orange a top team in the east, but Davis teaches him as much about the world as the coach can teach him about football. Davis wins the Heisman, and his coach gets that elusive national championship.

5. All The Right Moves (1983) -- A great guy movie that has stood the test of time, as more than 25 years have passed since its debut and men of a certain age continue to quote from it regularly. Who can forget names like Nickerson, Salvucci, Spider, Mouse and of course Tom Cruise's lead character, Stefen Djordjevic? Ampipe's 6-2 stack monster was a formidable defensive front against Walnut Heights, but a late mistake cost the Bulldogs the key win and the season -- even the football-obsessed western Pennsylvania steel town -- seemed to unravel from there.

4. Slap Shot (1977) -- Also set in a poor steel town, this hockey flick is chock full of memorable guy quotes. But the story of a broke minor-league team picks up steam when veteran player-coach Reggie Dunlop (Paul Newman) finally decides to insert the recently acquired trio of the Hanson brothers, who in real life are still cashing in on minor-league appearances. What unfolds after the rejuvenated squad begins to lift the spirits of a downtrodden fanbase is hardly the Miracle On Ice, but the exciting, late-season surge leaves no viewer dissatisfied.

3. Rocky (1976) -- Nearly 35 years after its release, the music from "Rocky" still makes me want to run a few miles and bang out some push-ups and sit-ups. The movie is pretty inspiring as well, the feel-good tale of unheralded boxer Rocky Balboa, a down-on-his-luck meat factory thug who gets a shot at the heavyweight champ through a publicity stunt. Just as he begins an unlikely courtship with Adrian, Rocky starts to train for his fight with Apollo Creed, triggering a series of life-changing events depicted in many, many sequels.

2. Hoosiers (1986) -- The ultimate David-and-Goliath story shows rural Indiana's tiny Hickory High School overcome the absence of its star player, an unpopular coach and even a drunk assistant on its way to an improbable state championship in 1952. The movie was loosely based on Milan High School's surprising state title run in 1954.

1. Bull Durham (1988) -- Unlike "Hoosiers," this baseball classic wasn't officially based on a true story, but something tells me what happened here probably happens a lot in the minors. A journeyman catcher is brought in to mentor a talented but immature pitcher, and an eccentric beauty comes between them. In the end, though, it's logical wisdom that brings the two players together, allowing the young hurler to advance to the majors, leaving the catcher behind in the southern sun ... with the girl, of course.

The Jets certainly were the NFL's January darlings under first-year coach Rex Ryan, and just hours into free agency season, they made a move that many think could have Gang Green playing into February next year.

The Jets traded for San Diego star cornerback Antonio Cromartie just a few minutes after midnight Friday, adding a shut-down cornerback to an already dominant defensive secondary led by Darrelle Revis, considered the best corner in the league right now.

When something appears to be so obvious -- like the theory that the Jets' defense will carry them to the Super Bowl next season, for example -- something often goes wrong and the sky-high expectations set by fans precede only heartbreak.

But for an hour at least, there was plenty of speculation on Twitter about how good the Jets will be in 2010. Here's a sampling:

* @MondayMorningQB: With the addition of Antonio Cromartie and the already dominating Darrelle Revis, Rex Ryan can now call blitzes with his eyes closed.

* @1000Steps: Charger nation says have him NY, he'll implode there.

* @MoveTheSticks: Cromartie fits NYJ scheme. They send heavy pressure and allow CB's 2 jump routes. Good move.

* @TheJetsStream: Cromartie reportedly has seven kids living in 5 states. Could get expensive if all of his families want PSLs in new stadium.

* @SexyRexyRyan: We got Cromartie! This is our year! Don't worry about the year after that, we play for today!

* @BrettHickman: Cromartie on one side and Revis on the other side? This move was made for playoff matchups against Peyton Manning and the Colts.

* @tunasweasel: Can Jets now put Cromartie on Moss and let Revis cover Welker? >> makes perfect sense.

* @AbuKedem: Best secondary in a long while, or did SD offload a problem on us?

* @Jerm_Weiner: A 3rd round draft pick for Cromartie? Is that what this Pro Bowl CB is worth? I know he had an off year this year, but cmon.

* @nchowdhury07: Antonio cromartie + darrelle revis in the jets secondary = game over.