DEM MADNESS 2010

Hey, baby...Markie V. here, ready to breakdown the brackets for the 2010 California Democrats version of “March Madness”. It’s my favorite time of year, when politics hits the hardwood and it’s a guaranteed dipsy-doo dunkeroo diddle dop slam-jam-bam, pudding-pop!

The field is set: 64 teams ready to compete and cut down the nets in Sacramento, baby!

But now, my friends, the fun really starts. When I break it down, the cream will rise to the top. In other words, I think most of the top seeds will make it to the Sweet 16.

Let’s start in the south with the Wolfgang Puck regional:

#1 seed John Perez and the Rubber Duckies open tournament play against the 16-seed Justin Blake, a State Senate candidate in the tournament for the very first time. Remember, no 16 has ever beaten a #1 seed in this tournament, and Blake looks like a sacrificial lamb.

There’s a nifty looking 8-9 matchup between consultants Steve Maviglio and Chris Lehane who both won their regular season titles but got dinged by the selection committee for some bad out-of-conference losses.

The #5 seed John Chiang looks to make some noise--but “The Controller” had some tough losses this past season and still isn’t sure if he can count on his reserves.

Keep an eye on the 4-13 contest--at #4, Congressman Jim Costa is a pretty lofty seed for someone weak on defense and #13 Ami “Shock Doc” Bera is one of my “Diaper Dandies” and could make a run (I realize he’s not going very deep but a good statistical match up for the more crafty Costa and a real “Maalox Masher,” baby!)

Gavin Newsom is a solid #2 pick...in fact, he’s been a perennial #2...but the surprise in this regional is at the #3 seed. Senate Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg was the preseason pick to win it all but had a rough finish.

Now, over to the always powerful Trader Joe regional:

The top seed is Jerry Brown--no surprise here. “Moonbeam” will eventually make his way to the Final Four but he’ll have to take on scrappy Kevin DeLeon who can really ring the bell but has never faced someone of Jerry’s experience.

The biggest wildcard in the Trader Joe bracket is the #6 seed Karen Bass who was an upset winner in the SEIU tournament. She’s awesome with a capital “B”, baby!

One to watch in this region--#4 seed Nathan Ballard who has post-season experience and can really bring pressure but is prone to turnovers.

And of course we usually see a 12-5 upset in the opening round and look for Kamala Harris to cause trouble because she’s good at flopping. But #5 Richie Ross is at his nastiest come tournament time and has been to the Final Four 5 times in the past 11 years.

And now the Tim Robbins regional...and the top seed there is Barbara Boxer, heading a bracket for the 18th time. However, shaky support and no depth could make her run at the title a short one. Let’s see if she rebounds and turns out be a real “Window Washer,” baby!

Biggest surprise, John Garamendi, the former #2 in the state who falls all the way to an 8-seed after jumping to another job midseason.

The 6-11 matchup pits a couple of underachievers--6-seed Diane Feinstein scores more, 11-seed Gray Davis defends more so it’s a contest that’s too close to call.

The 13-seed, State Senator Gloria Romero, has the potential to be a real Cinderella this March. Dangerous in committee with a wild streak that reminds me of that wacky French guy from Oakland who almost won the whole thing 4 years ago.

Finally, in the unpredictable Keith Olbermann regional:

The #1 seed (and the top seed overall) Nancy Pelosi gets a tune-up game in the opening round with an overmatched Assemblywoman, Joan Buchanan, in the 16 slot.

In the bottom half of the bracket, the #2 seed--John Burton--is my PTP’er, baby, “Poll-Trouble Party”--and you don’t see that around California too often. And more bad news for the Chairman -- the last 3 times he’s been a top 2 seed, he’s been knocked out before he reached the Sweet 16.

The 8-9 pairing in the Olbermann region puts two tournament regulars with a lot of bad press this season. Former AG flack Scott Gerber, the #8 seed, has been all but silent recently while #9 Alberto Torrico is having big trouble with his release.

Two more congressmen meet up in the 4-13 matchup. Dennis Cardoza winds up on the 4-line after some problems establishing position showed up right before the selection deadline, taking on a veteran George Miller at the 13-seed, a former sharpshooter who lately tends to dribble too much.

So it’s Pelosi, Boxer, Perez and Brown as the top seeds. No surprises there, but a shocking snub for longtime powerhouse Bob Mullholland, who finds himself waiting for an invitation to the lesser NIT (Nervous Insider Tournament) if he wants to see any post-season action.

My March Madness prediction? Pelosi and Brown make the finals...and nobody wins, baby.