访谈录 2009-03-19&03-21 奥巴马的三月疯

Around the Watercooler all over the country, everyone is talking about the Big Dance, March Madness, also known as the NCAA College Basketball Tournament. Fans are in a frenzy 1 all over the country; people are filling out their brackets. You gotta pick your 64 and how they're gonna make it down to the final four and all that. Of course the first fan, President Barack Obama, he is no difference to take his sport very seriously, so we have our friend Andy Katz, he is the senior college basketball writer for ESPN and ESPN.com. We are all fighting for an interview with the president. You walked down there and just started filling out brackets. How did this happen?

Well, I interviewed him in October for a piece on Outside the Lines on his brother-in-law Craig Robinson. At the end of interview I looked at then Senate Obama and said "Look, there is one campaign promise you are gonna have to keep: If you win in March, I'm coming to the White House to fill out the bracket.” And my producor feel so weird 2, "Did you just invite yourself to the White House?” And I said “yes”, and to their credit, Robert Gibbs, the press secretary and the president remembered when I said to them the request and said “Oh yeah, we are doing this.”

And here is the president actually talking about his brackets with Andy, take a look.

Here I’ve got a little upset, I like Syracuse. Oklahoma they have the player of the year, but they play, like seven guys and I think you start getting worn down. I still think that Duke, a lot of skilled perimeter 3 players. They just don't have the muscle inside (Right, DeJuan Blair…) I think Blair is gonna eat them up. Here I think Wake. (Now What happened? Everyone is picking Arizona. What happened to Arizona? Is it McCain? just you know) It has nothing to do with McCain,(Alright)I think Arizona is a great state, I love playing golf there, but they just squeaked 4 in (Yes)based on reputation.(Alright)

So Andy, no politics involved (no politics). But you used a little intellect or a little gut 5 there as well a little bit mix.

I was amazed at how was everything going on, he knew about Ty Lawson’s jammed right toe, the point guard from North Carolina. He knew that Tony Douglas in Florida State has been hot. And as you saw there (Who doesn't know that!) Yes of course, and he knew that DeJuan Blair is better in the post for Pitt than Duke's Kyle Singler.

Well, you know, I keep thinking about Duke, and what is it when the president says you don't have the muscle, I mean the president, don’t really have muscle, I don't know out there.

Well, his aide Reggie Love played at Duke, but he has no problem (no problem doing that) dismissing Duke,(But he loved Novo)yes.

So we have these final four picks, right? The president's final four picks, alright. And Diane, do you have yours?

I do. Do we have time for our picks? No, we don't have time.

Oh, Come on, throw them to us.

Sports Center at noon. You've gonna get see all this so you can figure out...

That's my final pick, win.(At ESPN.com)

The card goes, go, Pitino.

Andy, I hope you all fill out your brackets. You wanna be like president or like Andy, that's a question.