As March Madness approaches, this seems as good a time as any to briefly survey the rest of the sporting world.  Granted, none of these sports really matter - at least until the MLB season starts sometime in September - but writing this beats the hell out of work, and we can still learn a few things.

For starters, this week delivered proof that Real Madrid’s administration obviously did not find the time to see Ghost Rider.  A 43 year old Roman completed his three year mission to grab free tickets and club merchandise by impersonating actor Nicolas Cage.  Club officials rolled out the red carpet without realizing they were being had.  I would say that this would classify as a black-eye for the club, but with the Galactico era crashing down and a string of recent failures in Champion’s League play, I would guess this little incident slips quietly into the background.

Lost somewhere in the frozen north (that’s Versus on your TV Dial) the Detroit Red Wings served notice to the rest of the league with their 4th successive win.  Rebouding from a 7 game winless stretch, the Wings picked up a “Big” two points against the Chicago Blackhawks to restore a double digit lead atop the NHL.  Sure, some might claim that wins over the Sabres, Predators, Blues and Blackhawks don’t exactly count as statement games - hell, most reading this probably couldn’t place any 2 of those teams with their home city - but I say this is a clarion cal to the rest of the league that Detroit is ready to resume their place as the dominant force from October to April.

And speaking of things that won’t correlate in any way to post-season success, Alex Ovechkin continues his push towards 60 goals.  The Caps winger sits at 54 for the season with 12 games remaining, and could become the first person to hit 60 since Mario Lemieux struck for 69 during the 1995-96 season.  The publicity starved league will be thrilled to add another foreign born superstar with a growing grasp of the English language to their stable of un-marketable talent playing for small market non-playoff teams.

[youtube width="425" height="335"]http://youtube.com/watch?v=eorWhtV9Aqk[/youtube]

Baseball players can also be tough sometimes, with heated rivals Tampa Bay and the New York Yankees exchanging violence during a spring training game.  With tensions already absurdly and pointlessly high, a series of incidents including a hit batsman and a poor slide provoked a bench-clearing brawl.  Clearly, both teams wanted to send the message that, despite the near-total lack of direct physical contact in their sport, they were willing to mix it up like morons.

Elsewhere in Tampa Bay, part-time outfielder Rocco Baldelli saw his shadow and looks to be headed back to the DL.  His latest rehab attempt has been delayed by what is being reported as chronic fatigue.  The 26 year old ‘prospect’ is struggling to return from a litany of injuries, the latest being a hamstring tear suffered last May.  Apparently, spending nearly two full years ripping and tearing and breaking various parts of his body has really tuckered the poor guy out.  There is no word yet on how this will affect his return to the field, or subsequent return to the DL.

And finally, the woe-is-me Red Sox Nation wept this week with word that ace Josh Beckett will likely miss the team’s upcoming journey to Japan due to a back complaint.  After displaying uncharacteristic durability last season, the team is being understandably cautious with the health of their star pitcher as opening day approaches.  Team spokespeople are quick to downplay the severity of the injury and hope that Beckett will be ready to start the season, and that his next leap will be the leap home.