College Hoop Bloops

The NCAA’s Final Four have finally forsaken us, and college-hoop mania will now take a breather until November. Meanwhile, ever-considerate ESPN provides two new highlight videos to see hoopoids through the round-ball-deficient months to come.

The more interesting of the two, Time Out, Baby! is hosted by stentorian announcer Dick Vitale, who attempts to review 40 years of college-basketball history in 35 minutes, spotlighting the dominant players and then picking his ”All-Time Rolls-Roycers” team (Rolls being the paradigm, not the sponsor). Though the ego-intensive Vitale typically forgoes insight in favor of cliche and bombast, you can always lower the volume.

College Hoop Bloops, hosted by the more civilized Chris Fowler, operates on the questionable premise that college-basketball fans want a tape that focuses on players’ mistakes — air balls, misdirected passes, blown dunks, busted backboards, etc. Unfortunately, these errors aren’t as entertaining as the football and baseball bloopers that are so popular on video; instead, Hoop Bloops is simply embarrassing — the whole tape is the real blooper. Time Out, Baby!: B College Hoop Bloops: D