Pretending is fun. I’ve always been a guy who loves to let his imagination run wild. Growing up, it was hitting last-second, game-winning shots on the driveway. As an adult, it advances to talking with your friends about what you’d do with the wads upon wads of lettuce you’d get after winning the Powerball. But let’s face it, if you don’t have an imagination of some sort, you’re more than likely a habitual [Debbie Downer][1].Mine kicked in last night while watching the closing minutes and aftermath of Florida’s [84-75 win][2] over Ohio State, claiming its second National Championship in just as many years (By the way, [Corey Brewer][3] just took over the top spot on my second annual “God I hope the Bulls draft him with the pick they stole from Isaiah Thomas” list…I’m 0-for-1, as they never had a shot at [Adam Morrison][4] last year, but man, does anyone else agree that Brewer is a rich man’s [Brandon Rush][5]? Equally talented, but Brewer is more consistent).With my wild imagination, I asked myself this: If I controlled the Final Four’s overall presentation, how would things be different? Here’s a few ideas…**1) Gus, Gus and more Gus**You know, this is no kind of a knock on [Jim Nantz][6], who is as phenomenal a play-by-play guy as there is in the world. But for some reason, when I hear him calling a hoops game, I just have far too much association between his voice and [The Masters][7]. When watching a Final Four and the eventual title game, I want a voice that matches the crowd’s intensity. I want a voice that matches the intensity of the guy sitting in the [Bellagio][8] cradling two Coronas who just bet every cent to his name, including his kids’ college funds, on Florida to cover the spread based on nothing more than a hunch – In other words, the game is his lifeline.Enter [Gus Johnson][9].Dude’s the king when it comes to tourney time, no question. He gets just as fired up for the opening tip as he does for a game-winning three from 36 feet. His voice, to me, is synonymous with March Madness because, well, he’s mad. [Here’s a prime example][10].I’d still have Nantz calling games, just not in the Final Four. Again, not a knock at all on Nantz, because he’s awesome come golf, but as a viewer, I share Johnson’s passion for the game. He’s who I want.He’d play perfectly together with [Bill Raftery][11], who was much more entertaining on the CBS Radio broadcast than [Billy Packer][12] was on TV.**2) Let them play**I’m of the school of thought that refs get almost as nervous before Final Four games as the players and coaches do. It’s got to be hard to do anything in front of 50,000 people with complete composure. I’d probably struggle to write my name with that many people screaming and heckling.But man, were they ever jumpy this weekend. Saturday night it was brutally apparent.In the first semifinal game, there was potential for a titanic clash between Ohio State’s [Greg Oden][13] and Georgetown’s [Roy Hibbert][14]. Both are at least seven feet tall, both are incredibly skilled on offense, and both can swat shots. They’re both future lottery picks, and it could have been the inaugural meeting in the birth of a Chamberlain v. Russell type of rivalry that could go for years and years. Unfortunately, this viewer stopped caring once Oden was sent to the bench in the game’s opening minutes with two fouls. He went on to show in Monday’s game (25 points and 12 rebounds in 38 minutes) what he can do when refs don’t keep one eye on him at all times.With touchy foul calls, Oden was limited to just 20 minutes on the floor compared to 24 for Hibbert. And guess what? The game was a bust. Heck, I gave up with about 15 minutes left to go shoot hoops behind my apartment and avoid potential über-boredom.Then, in the second game, UCLA’s [Arron Afflalo][15], who KU fans know quite well by now, had three first half fouls and played just five minutes in the first stanza. He finished with a very misleading 17 points on just 5-of-14 shooting, and instead of looking amazing like he did seven days prior, he mostly looked gloomy with his elbows on his knees with his warmup top on.To rectify it, I’d do some homework, finding the refs who called the fewest fouls and called the loosest games over the course of a season. I don’t care what conference they’re from, that’s who I want. And I’d tell them to do it just as they had all year long. That, or they’re fired…mwahaha.But seriously, in games that intense with that much on the line, the calls shouldn’t be made the same as they are in a game between Joe Schlabotnik University and Ed Schlabotnik Tech. These games decide truly who college basketball’s best is – or at least they’re supposed to – so let the players make the final verdicts.**3) Please preserve the Moment**Being a cheesy, nostalgic, sentimental dork, I of course love watching [One Shining Moment][16] every year. Even if that means I have to sit through 146 commercial breaks, 47 previews of the [Late Show with David Letterman][17] and [Greg Gumbel][18] _promising_ me that the infamous yearly montage is coming up shortly, I’m loyal.I’m a bigger fan of the pre-Luther Vandross versions. The [previous renditions][19] had more of an old school feel, while the late, great [Vandross][20] just stretched out a few notes that needed no stretching. They were perfect how they were. True, they’re certainly not bad [now][21], either. That’s just me being nit-picky.As the owner of a Master’s degree in the finer points of One Shining Moment, the one way to keep it from getting to gimmicky and over-hyped is to not play it up so much. I don’t need Greg Gumbel selling it to me 465,210 times in five minutes. I know it’s there, so let it come naturally.Therefore, maybe it could go back to being one of the neat little secrets that is an added bonus to the Final Four instead of something that CBS now sells for $1.99 on iTunes (true story).If you’ve got any other suggestions, send ’em this way. The door is always open. See you later this week to talk about the already-spinning coaching carousel.**_KUSports.com editor Ryan Greene can be reached at rgreene@ljworld.com, or by phone at (785) 832-6357._** [1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debbie_Downer [2]: http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/recap?gid=200704020210 [3]: http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/players/37815 [4]: http://www.nba.com/playerfile/adam_morrison/index.html [5]: http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/players/47655 [6]: http://sportsline.com/cbssports/team/jnantz [7]: http://www.masters.org/en_US/index.html [8]: http://www.bellagio.com/ [9]: http://cbs.sportsline.com/cbssports/team/gjohnson [10]: http://youtube.com/watch?v=WWdjhRaVQ74 [11]: http://www.sportsline.com/cbssports/team/braftery [12]: http://www.sportsline.com/cbssports/team/bpacker [13]: http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/players/60049 [14]: http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/players/38091 [15]: http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/players/37827 [16]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Shining_Moment [17]: http://www.cbs.com/latenight/lateshow/ [18]: http://www.sportsline.com/cbssports/team/ggumbel [19]: http://youtube.com/watch?v=zmDI4UrzEVc [20]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luther_Vandross [21]: http://youtube.com/watch?v=B6z_G3m_F1w
