Take Madness Final Four | Battle of Pennsylvania, 412 and Just Outside of Philly clash

Welcome to the Final Four of Take Madness! We are down to four talented writers, and you, the readers, can vote for who should make it to the championship. Read below and vote on Instagram and X!

First, we have the Battle of Pennsylvania with the winners from the 412 region and the Just Outside of Philly region. 

Is the Cinderella era over? // Just Outside of Philly region winner Kaitlyn Griffin, Staff Writer

It is no secret that this year’s March Madness ended up rather … predictable. All four No. 1 seeds are set to face off this weekend in San Antonio, the first time this has happened since 2008.

The Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight were dominated by top seeds — No. 10 Arkansas was the lowest seed to make it past the second round. The only notable upset this year came from No. 12 McNeese defeating No. 5 Clemson in the first round, but even that run was cut short when McNeese matched up against Purdue in the round of 32. 

Fans can look to the recent changes to the transfer portal and the increasing importance of NIL deals to blame for this year’s admittedly underwhelming tournament. These policies could lead to the absolute dominance of top-tier schools in March for years to come.

As of 2024, college basketball players can transfer as many times as they would like without sitting out for a year. With new NIL policies, these same players now profit off of their name, image and likeness.
Combine the two of these things, and you see the star players from mid-major programs entering the portal and ending up at a top-tier school, one that can offer them significantly more NIL opportunities.

This effect has already dominated the NCAA. Johni Broome, Auburn’s starting forward and SEC player of the year, began his career at Morehead State, transferring after only two seasons. Walter Clayton Jr., Florida’s leading scorer and first-team All-American, played two years at Iona before hitting the transfer portal and ending up in the Final Four with the Gators. 

The trend of players using these mid-major programs as stepping stones to pave their way to top-tier schools is taking over the NCAA and is starting to show. Not a single team outside of the Power Five conferences made it to the second weekend of the tournament this year, something that hasn’t happened since 2019.  

This all begs the question — is the era of the underdog over? Will we ever see a St. Peter’s 2022-esque Cinderella story again, one that had the whole country abandoning their bracket picks and cheering for a 15 seed to go all the way? 

If players continue to enter the portal at the rate we are seeing today and chase the most lucrative NIL opportunities, the term “Cinderella story” might just become a thing of the past. 

“Womp womp,” tradition, the MLB must embrace Torpedo bats // 412 region winner Alex Porter, Senior Staff Writer

The MLB has become a pitcher’s league. From advanced stats to spin rate calculations — pitchers hone their craft with unprecedented accuracy. 

The numbers don’t lie — the pitchers’ distinct advantage only grows with time. In 2024, batters hit .243, an average tied with 2022 for the worst since 1968. For perspective, in 2004, 36 batters hit .300 or better. In 2014, 17 batters did, and in 2024, only seven remained.

This season, batters finally found an innovation of their own — torpedo bats. The results have been electric, as the trailblazing Yankees homered an MLB record 18 times through the first four contests. The resulting offensive boost calls back to the undeniably entertaining roid rage era of the early 2000s, without the resulting overgrown foreheads, health detriments and loss of integrity.

Still, critics complain that these bats provide an unfair advantage. In reality, the advantage for pitching has gone on far too long. It’s about time the hitters tip the scales in their favor.
First, nothing about the torpedo bat makes it illegal. Its specifications fit perfectly within the MLB rules. The bat simply uses physics to the hitters’ benefit. Long story short, physicists customized bats for the widest part of the bat at the player’s sweet spot — the place on the bat where they most often hit the ball.

For those concerned, pitchers will still counter with a response of their own. If a scouting report has a player’s “sweet spot” as closer to the plate, pitch the outside of the zone where their bat has become abnormally thin. 

If these trends continue, torpedo bats must become the MLB’s selling point. A sport once considered “America’s pastime” has long been passed by the NFL and NBA.
The MLB would have more advertising, action, hits and home runs, which would only help baseball steal back the spotlight. Just give Shohei Ohtani a torpedo bat and watch the ratings skyrocket.